


Because

by tarrysmith



Category: Jay Baruchel - Fandom, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 00:31:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 72
Words: 181,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3549332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarrysmith/pseuds/tarrysmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bethany is hair/makeup/costumer for Tom. Bethany has a roommate with a dream… Recipe for silliness…</p><p>This was the original summary. This story has taken on a life of it's own, and become so much more. </p><p>I hope you enjoy it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bethany

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to do one where the OFC flirted with Tom, just because she was in to Luke. But then I heard that Luke may be gay, so I scrapped the idea. But then, this idea came to me, so here it is! 
> 
> I am old school, I almost always write in the third person. I’ve written in second person, but seriously, I find it just so odd. I almost never write first person, because then, you can only be in that person’s head. So I tried to write this third person, but Bethany would have none of it! So, I’m gonna switch POV each chapter. Yup. Hope y’all enjoy it!

Chapter 1, Bethany

“Bethany, I need to speak with you,” Claire, the boss, said, as soon as I walked in the door.

I didn’t like the scary look on her face. “Just let me put my bag down, OK?” I asked her, looking around for a spot to drop my equipment. Being on location was exciting, but the first day was always nerve-wracking as you scrambled to find a routine. This was a tiny indie film, with a microscopic budget, a personal dream, and supposedly semi-autobiographical, of both the director and producer, who were somehow old friends with the talent. How they had been able to convince the like of Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence to make this film almost gratis, I didn’t know, but I was excited to be working with them. The lack of funds meant that I would be doing hair, makeup, and costumes, all three, for the two gorgeous actresses. Was this a hardship in any way? Categorically, hell, no! I was so excited by the prospect, that I didn’t even mind that I was going to be underpaid — the rest of the benefits would make it all worth it!

Now, setting down my bag, and making a space for my gear, I turned back to my boss. “OK, Claire, what is it?”

She pursed her mouth a little disgustedly. “Danielle broke her arm yesterday, rollerskating with her kids.”

“Oh, no!” I allowed myself to collapse into a near-by chair. “How on earth are we going to do this, then?”

Claire gave me an odd look. I wasn’t sure if it was sympathy or envy. Maybe both? “Well, obviously, I’ve had to replace her. I’ve got Clarice…”

“Clarice?!“ I squeaked! “Oh, no!”

Claire looked defensive. “She’s the only one I could get on such short notice, and, I’m sorry, but I can see that you know what this means.”

Yes, I did. It meant goodbye to working with the lovely and elegant Kate, and the gorgeous and spunky Jennifer. For Clarice HATED men! Hated them so much, she absolutely refused to work with them. She was really good, and actresses did love her, or she’d have been out of a job years ago. Oh, well. So it was to be the men for me, but to be honest, I didn’t even know who they were.

“Uh, Claire?” I asked now, sighing. ”Who am I working with? I don’t even know.”

“Didn’t you pay any attention at all?“ she asked me, with some exasperation.

“Not a whole lot,” l said honestly. ”When I heard Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence, I just said yes, and quit listening to the rest. I don’t even really know what the film is about.”

Claire shook her head, smirking at me. “This is why I like you, Bethany. I can always count on you for a laugh.”

“OK, so tell me,” I said, chin in hand.

“To start with,” she said, “this film is about two men who hate each other, who find out that they are twins who were separated at birth. One was raised by relatives in England, and the other in Canada. Kate and Jennifer play their girlfriends, who they actually and up switching during the course of the film.”

That actually sounded fun, and I said so. “So, who plays these two men?” I asked, finally genuinely curious, since now I would be working with them.

“Well, the Canadian is being played by Jay Baruchel,” she said. “I think you’ve worked with him before…?” She looked at me, one brow raised, and I nodded.

Yes, I had. He’s a lovely man, charming and witty, and just as funny in real life as he is in all of his movies. He was a pleasure to work with, and it would be fun to get to know him a little better this time. “And, so who’s playing the Brit?”

Claire was suddenly wreathed in smiles. “Oh, you’re not going to believe this!” she said breathlessly. ”How they got him to do this film, I don’t know!”

“They must know him personally, and he’s doing a favor for a friend, just like Kate and Jennifer,” I said. “And he must be big, because you’re reacting like that. So who is it, Claire? Come on, spill!”

“Guess!” she said teasingly, her eyes twinkling.

“Oooh, is it Benedict Cumberbatch?” I asked, because that would be exciting!

“No, but you’re close!” she said, grinning, and she looked positively goofy.

“Claire, you’re star-struck!” I said. And then I groaned, as I realized who it must be.

“Tom Hiddleston!” we said at the same time, Claire excited, me, a little horrified.

Claire must have recognized the tone of my voice. “Wait, what?” she asked, frowning. “Have you worked with him before? Is he awful? Oh, I hope not; please don’t destroy my fantasies!”

“No, no, nothing like that,” I was quick to reassure her. “I’ve not ever worked with him before, never met the man. It’s just that my roommate… Oh, I’ll never hear the end of it!”

“Oh, got a fan girl crush, does she?” Claire said knowingly.

“Something like that,” I agreed, because it was. Something like that. But, in reality, it was a little more complicated! My roommate’s name is Lance, and he had had a fan boy crush, until he found out, definitively, that his hero was straight. And that would have been the end of it, if said hero wasn’t such good friends with his publicist. His gay publicist. His extremely attractive (even I’ll admit it!), gay publicist. Who seems to accompany him everywhere he goes, so that you pretty much never see a photograph of Tom, without seeing Luke as well.

Well, Lance had become convinced that if he could only meet Luke, just once, that all of both of their dreams would come true, that it would be a match made in heaven, and that they would live happily ever after. Of course, that completely disregarded the fact that Luke was in a committed relationship.

At least he had been. Until a week ago, when he quietly announced that he and his partner had had a parting of the ways. It was all Lance had talked about ever since. And he had long ago made me promise that if I ever got the opportunity to work with Tom, that I would do my utmost to hook Lance up with the love of his life, namely, Luke. And now, Luke was single. And I was working with Tom.

Well, I’m a professional. I work with celebrities all the time. At least that’s what I told myself now, as I gathered up my gear and headed for the men’s trailer. Because this was such a low-budget, no frills, little indie film, the men were sharing, and there was only one trailer for everything — well, one for the men and one for the women. Claire pointed me in the right direction, and when I got there, I knocked, in case someone wasn’t decent, and hearing, “Come in,” I opened the door and stepped through it.

And froze, because it’s all true, what they say: Tom likes to run around dressed only in a towel. “Um, I’ll just step out for a moment while you get dressed, shall I?” l said, backing up to leave.

“Nonsense, sweetie,“ said Mr. Tom Oh-my-god-he’s-hot Hiddleston. “I’ll just dress in the bathroom.” He made absolutely no moves whatsoever to do so, however; just stood there, arms folded across his chest, smiling that extremely endearing signature smile

“Um, hello,” I stammered, “I’m…”

“Bethany, isn’t it?” Turning, I smiled at Jay Baruchel, who was coming out of said bathroom. Oh.

“I’m flattered you remember my name, Mr. Baruchel,” l said, offering my hand. He just looked down at it with those warm, dark-chocolate colored eyes, brow quirked, and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, because he really is a sweetheart.

“Bethany, Jay, please,” he said to me sternly, well, as stern as he can get, which really isn’t very much. He turned to Tom. “Hey, this is Bethany,” he said. “She’s the best I’ve ever worked with.” At this point, l was blushing, looking down at my feet, but also seriously pleased that he apparently thought that highly of me. “But,” Jay continued, “I did spent the entire film trying to convince her to stop calling me ‘Mr. Baruchel’ like that!”

Tom had been standing there, still in his towel, the whole time, and now he came forward, hand extended, and said “It’s nice to meet you, Bethany. I’m Tom, Tom Hiddleston. I look forward to working with you.”

Oh, god, his voice. Well, I shook his hand, struggling to keep my eyes on his face, instead of doing what they wanted to do, which was explore the muscles he was displaying. He’s a very slender man, but OMG, at this time, the guy was seriously ripped, sporting amazing pecs and a six- pack that spoke of hours in the gym. A few sparse hairs just below the base of his throat, getting more dense down under his belly, where they disappeared under his towel. Ungh.

So, I looked at his face. Mistake.

He has blue eyes, the most intense blue, with hints of green, that I have ever seen. He has very expressive eyebrows. He has one dimple. One. He has smiley eye crinkles, and a long, straight nose, a firm chin and jaw, and cheekbones that could cut glass. Gorgeous skin. He had a week-long beard, I’d guess, and I had just read that the role called for him to be clean-shaven. I wondered if I was expected to take care of that…

“Sweetheart, are you all right?” he asked, seemingly concerned. “You seem quite dazed.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, snapping out of it. By now, you’ve probably guessed, quite rightly, I’ll admit, that I basically have no filter. So I looked Mr. Tom Hiddleston up and down, looked back at his handsome face, and said, “I’m sorry, it’s just that you’re wearing nothing but a towel, and you’re extremely ripped, so, I tried to look you in the eye, but holy hell, you’re good-looking, and I’m afraid I lost it for a minute. I’ll try not to let it happen again, but it would help if you’d get dressed!”

Tom seemed totally taken aback for about fifteen seconds. And then, he threw his head back, and laughed that distinctive laugh of his, the one that seems to come from his toes, eyes squinched tight and tongue between his teeth. “Oh, I’m going to like you!” he said, smirking.

Chuckling a little myself, I finally did look him straight in the eye, and told him, “Put some clothes on, mister. You’re distracting me. And my instructions say you’re to be clean-shaven. So go take care of that, while I start on Jay.”

Tom hesitated, looking like he, maybe, would like to argue with me. I continued to give him my best no-nonsense look, and finally, he gave me a little salute, before gathering up some clothing and heading for the bathroom.

As soon as the door shut, Jay lost it, laughing so hard that he had to wipe tears. “And Tom Hiddleston meets his match,” he gasped out, between bursts of laughter.

“I heard that,” Tom‘s voice called from the bathroom.

“This is going to be fun,” Jay said, taking his seat in front of the mirror, as l got my gear and began to prepare him for the day.


	2. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2, from Tom’s POV, with a little overlap in storyline; I hope that’s OK. Let me know if you like it! Thanks, everybody. Thanks again, and, enjoy!

Chapter 2, Tom

If I hadn’t been between projects, I probably would have said no when Danny and Davy called me. But, I was between projects, and I truly hate being idle. When my time here on Earth draws to an end, I never want to look back on my life and think to myself that I’ve wasted any of it, so I strive to keep myself busy doing something. So, when my old Cambridge friend Danny called me with the offer of a role in his autobiographical indie film, well, let’s just say I felt it worth my time to consider it.

I vaguely recalled meeting Davy once, back in uni. He’d come around with Danny. Apparently at that time, the men had recently discovered that they were, in actual fact, twin brothers who had been separated at birth and raised apart, each with no knowledge of the other. Davy was from Canada, and I remember that he and Danny had actually been living in the same block of flats for a couple of years before they ever found out that they were twins. It seemed so farfetched, surely it was a movie plot! Yes, actually, now it was.

I was flattered that Danny wanted me to play, well, him. Our conversation went something like this:

Danny: So, Tom, will you do it, to help out an old friend from uni?

Me: Well, Danny, I’d like to know a little more about the project. Do you have the other roles cast?

Danny: Yes, actually, Tom. You are the last one. I thought of you instantly; you’ll basically be playing me. I’m sorry we can’t pay you more, but Davy and I are doing this without backing, just because it’s such an amazing story, we wanted to do it right. No one else gets to touch this but us!

Me: OK… So, who are the other players then, Danny? [I felt like he was being a little evasive with me at this point, and it turns out, I was actually right, as you’ll see!]

Danny: Well, Jennifer Laurence is playing my wife, and Kate Winslet is playing Davy’s. Did you know, we ended up falling in love with and marrying each other’s girlfriends?

Me: That sounds… awkward, Danny [it did!]. But who’s playing Davy? [I knew he was trying to avoid telling me, but at this point, I was at a total loss as to why!]

Danny: Um… well… eh… you see… that is… Um, Tom, do you know the Canadian chap, the one who voiced that charming character from the How To Train Your Dragon movies?

Me: *silence* [Oh, god, he’s talking about Jay Baruchel. The man whose fiancée broke up with him after filming Midnight In Paris opposite me. I don’t know for a fact that that had anything to do with it, but I was so sorry about it anyway, it seemed like such an unfortunate coincidence, and she and I had become rather close. Not that anything inappropriate had happened, you understand. Still…]

Danny: Tom [He was almost whispering], are you still there?

Me: Yes, Danny. Um, I’m going to have to think about it, man. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

I’m afraid I pretty much hung upon him. I called Luke. That conversation went like this:

Me: Hey, Luke, Tom here. I’ve been asked to be in a film with a Canadian actor named Jay Baruchel. Do you know him?

Luke: This Is The End, remember? We both laughed so hard that popcorn came out our noses!

Me: Right, right. [how had I forgotten that?] Anyway, OK, the thing is, his fiancée broke up with him right after playing Zelda to my Fitzgerald, and it just seems like a huge coincidence, and I want to make sure there’s no hard feelings, before I say yes to this role I’ve been offered.

Luke: Ah, I understand. Let me contact his people and I’ll get back to you.

It was a difficult twenty minutes for me, waiting to hear back from Luke, but finally my phone rang, and I answered it.

Me: What did they say? [I was so nervous, I was almost afraid to breathe!]

Luke: Oh, you’re gold. He really wants you to do the project, has always wanted to meet you, loves Loki, blah blah blah… Sounds like you’ll be busy for a couple of months, then, eh?

Me: [sigh of relief!] Hey, thanks, man! I will contact you with all the info once I’ve officially accepted the role.

Luke: Great! Well, in that case, talk to you soon!

Me: Yes, thanks Luke!

So, forty-five minutes after telling Danny I would let him know, I was calling him back to tell him I would accept the role. Filming would begin in just three weeks; it’s a good thing that I am a quick study. I got the script by express mail later that day, and started learning lines.

***

I am a perennial early riser, so the first day of filming, I got up at 3:30 and went to the set. I was dressed for a run, so leaving the rest of my gear in my car, I started out. I hoped that by the time I was back, someone would be on set to show me where our trailer was. I knew this was a small budget film, so wasn’t surprised that Jay and I would be sharing the trailer. In spite of assurances, I was still a little nervous about how to act around him, but I was committed now. Hmmm, maybe I needed to be committed, insert laugh here!

When I returned to the set after a lovely, brisk, early-morning run, the security guard was in his shack, and he pointed me towards our trailer. It was still early, and Jay hadn’t yet arrived, so I felt free to step into the shower. When l finished up and left the bathroom, I found that Jay had arrived while I had been showering.

“Hey, Loki,” he greeted me, smiling broadly, his voice that raspy, slightly irritating Canadian-twang. And yet, as I suspected, he puts it on for film, because in real life, it’s not near as exaggerated as you hear it in the movies.

I approached him, holding my towel closed with one hand, holding out the other to him. ”Tom, Tom Hiddleston,” said I, looking at him earnestly. “I absolutely loved This Is The End. So much laughter!”

“Gee, thanks,” he said. “So, you’re ruling in Asgard now?”

I chuckled. “Yes, as of the end of Thor: The Dark World. “

“Well, it’s amazing, being a super hero, I bet,” he said, giving me a speculative look.

“Hmmm,” I said, thinking about it. “I guess he’s not exactly a super villain, but I don’t think I’d call him a super hero, either. But what about you? Hiccup, and the Prime Merlinian?”

His cheeks actually turned pink. “OK, so we’re both amazing!” He stopped and ran his hand through his hair (which made me want to do the same, so l did!), then continued. “Listen, about Allison…”

“Man, I’m really sorry about that,” I said, biting my lip (why do I always do that? I’ve been taking flack for it since uni days). “So sorry…”

“No,” he said, waving it away with his hand. ”The truth is, we were on the outs before she did Midnight In Paris. I was just trying to hold on, or I think it would have ended a lot sooner than it did.”

“Well, that’s tough, you know?” I said sympathetically. “I’ve been there. That bitch…” The memory was bitter, but I stopped before I blurted out her name.

“I guess I won’t ask,” he said, but I could tell he wanted to.

“Let’s just say her initials are K. D. And she fucking broke my heart,” I said acidly.

“All righty, then,” he said, standing up. “Are you done in the bathroom?” When l said yes, he gave me another look, before going in and closing the door.

A few seconds later, there was a knock at the trailer door, so I said, “Come in.”

And in walked the cutest girl I had seen in at least a year! All of five foot two, and a scrappy little bit of a thing, carrying a large duffle almost as big as she was. She was instantly flustered, and I wondered why, until she averted her eyes and said, “Um, I’ll just step out for a moment while you get dressed, shall I?” and she began backing up to leave.

“Nonsense, sweetie,“ I said, chuckling a little. “I’ll just dress in the bathroom.” But, of course, I couldn’t do anything at that point, as Jay was still in said bathroom.

“Um, hello,” she stammered, and I felt bad, because I could tell she was really uncomfortable. “I’m…”

“Bethany, isn’t it?” Jay was saying, coming out of the bathroom at just that moment, and she looked at him with what could only be relief. I felt an unfamiliar sensation in the pit of my stomach. It was quite unpleasant, really, and I didn’t like it at all. I repressed the frown that tried to take up residence on my face.

“I’m flattered you remember my name, Mr. Baruchel,” she was saying, offering him her hand. She hadn’t offered me her hand!

Jay just looked down at that cute little hand, brow quirked, and then he pulled her into a hug. Now it felt like I’d been sucking on lemons, and I felt my lips purse.

“Bethany, Jay, please,” he told her sternly, and turned to me. “Hey, this is Bethany,” he said. “She’s the best I’ve ever worked with.” His words made her blush, and she stood, looking down at her feet. “But,” Jay continued, “I did spent the entire film trying to convince her to stop calling me ‘Mr. Baruchel’ like that!”

At this time it seemed appropriate to offer my hand, so I extended it towards her, and said “It’s nice to meet you, Bethany. I’m Tom, Tom Hiddleston. I look forward to working with you.”

Well, she shook my hand, but she looked positively gobbsmacked, and I was a little concerned that she might actually pass out.

“Sweetheart, are you all right?” I asked, genuinely concerned. “You seem quite dazed.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, snapping out of it. She looked me up and down, and then looked me right in the eye, and said, “I’m sorry, it’s just that you’re wearing nothing but a towel, and you’re extremely ripped, so, I tried to look you in the eye, but holy hell, you’re good-looking, and I’m afraid I lost it for a minute. I’ll try not to let it happen again, but it would help if you’d get dressed!”

Well, I admit to being totally taken aback for about fifteen seconds, torn between being amused and being flattered. I hadn’t been spoken to so bluntly by a female since the last time my mum was a little put out with me. I couldn’t help it, I threw my head back, and laughed uproariously. “Oh, I’m going to like you!” I told her, smiling at her, hoping she’d smile back. Suddenly, I felt warm all over, and I knew I was reacting to her. Fortunately, I was sitting in such a way that I was in no danger of creating a tent of my towel, thank the lord!

Chuckling a little, she looked me straight in the eye, and said, “Put some clothes on, mister. You’re distracting me. And my instructions say you’re to be clean-shaven. So go take care of that, while I start on Jay.”

Well, I hesitated, stalling to get that unruly little part of my anatomy under control, before I stood up and made a total fool of myself. I think Jay knew, as he sat there smirking at me over her shoulder. She continued to give me the evil eye, and finally, I felt safe to get up off of the table I was half-sitting on. I gave her a little salute, before gathering up some clothing and heading for the bathroom.

As soon as the door shut, Jay lost it; I could hear him laughing out there. Oh, he definitely knew about my “problem,” the wanker!

“And Tom Hiddleston meets his match,” he gasped out, between bursts of laughter.

“I heard that,” I called out from where I was in the bathroom.

“This is going to be fun,” Jay said.

I sincerely hoped he was right.


	3. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparks fly instantly between Tom and Bethany...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really enjoying switching back and forth between characters! Thanks for reading! Let me know if you like it, and enjoy!

Chapter 3, Bethany

I was half-way done with Jay’s makeup, and Tom was still in the bathroom. What was he doing in there, plucking all that facial hair out one piece at a time? At one point I even thought that he really might be, because it sounded like he was moaning. I quit working on Jay to listen, and our eyes met in the mirror. Jay was smirking, and I was trying not to laugh, but then it got louder. Oh. He was singing. Beauty And The Beast, for fuck’s sake.

“Um, Tom’s a fucking huge dork, isn’t he?” l asked Jay as I went back to applying his blush.

“It kinda looks that way,” Jay said, chuckling. “This is my first time meeting him.”

“Me, too,” I said absently, moving on to the eye makeup. ”I’ve never worked with him before.”

“He and I were talking before you got here,” Jay said, his eyes closed while I applied the neutral colors he needed. “He seems nice.”

“Nothing to me if he’s not,” I said carelessly. “I am a professional and I will do my job regardless!”

Just then, Tom came out of the bathroom, decently clothed now, thank the lord! It was really going to be hard to stay on task if he was like this often. The man was seriously a walking, talking fantasy! If he had a flaw, I hadn’t seen it yet, and I’d already seen almost all of him!

“I want to go inspect his shave,“ I said in the mirror to Jay. “Just hold tight, Mr. Baruchel. “

“Bethany,” he whined, spinning the chair around and looking at me with a lost-kitten look. “Mr. Baruchel is my dad! It makes me feel fucking old when you call me that!”

“I’m sorry, Jay! “ I said, hands on any hips. “I’ll try to remember, but I’ll probably forget again. It’s a defense mechanism.”

I was checking out Tom’s face at this point, beautiful man! I cupped his chin in my hand, turning his face this way and that. If you need to be clean shaven for film, you have to make sure there’s no residuals to cast shadows. Tom clearly knew what he was doing, as his skin was as smooth as a baby’s. “Beautiful, Tom,“ I murmured.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, so softly I doubt Jay heard, and suddenly, the moment felt too intimate, and I backed slowly away, returning to where Jay was still sitting in the chair in front of the mirror. I finished applying the makeup to his eyes, and set the whole thing with powder, then removed the cape. Going to the closet, I pulled the appropriate costume for today’s filming and handed it to him. ”Now Mr. Baru — uh, Jay…”

“Defense mechanism?” he asked, brow raised. “Maybe if I can understand why you’re doing it, I can help you to stop.”

He was standing, and as he’s the same height as Tom, 6’2”, he was towering over me. I looked up at him and met his eyes. Again, because I have no filter, I told him the truth. “It’s because I find you attractive,“ I said frankly. ”Being formal helps me keep some distance. It’s not professional to come on to the talent!”

Jay looked embarrassed, and, chuckling, gave me an ‘aww-shucks‘ look, but Tom let out that laugh again. I gave him a look before turning back to Jay. “Now, Jay, take that costume into the bathroom and get dressed. Try not to rub on your face, and when you’re dressed, I’ll do your hair.”

I turned to Tom, and gestured towards the chair. “Your turn, Tom,” I said.

I had trouble interpreting the look he gave me then. Part sadness, part anger, part disappointment, part disbelief. It was so odd! I stepped back, and asked him, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” he said quietly, flatly, and it was like the sun had gone behind a cloud. Maybe this is what he did to prepare himself to perform; at any rate, I wasn’t going to question him. He’s a consummate actor, and I figured he knew what he was doing. He sat in the chair, looking down, not meeting my eyes.

I began by applying moisturizer; stage makeup is so nasty to your skin. And oh my goodness, did this man have lovely, lovely skin. While Jay is very warm toned, Tom is cooler. Jay had an olive base, but Tom was pink. They would be a fun contrast to work with, and I found myself really getting excited, for the first time since finding out I wouldn’t be working with Kate and Jennifer. I got out my sponges and the pot of makeup base I’d chosen.

“Have you ever used Aquacolor?” I asked Tom, and he lifted his eyes and met mine in the mirror.

“No, I haven’t” he said quietly, shaking his head a little. “I usually use Ben Nye.”

“Well, then, you’re in for a treat!” I told him. “I think you’ll find it a lot easier on your skin, it stays put better, and it’s easier to remove.”

“It sounds ideal,” he said, smiling a little, and I couldn’t help smiling back.

“There’s my Tom smile,” I said, lifting his chin with the tips of the fingers of one hand, while I applied the makeup to his throat and neck with the other. My comment made him grin, and suddenly, my chest felt a little tight. Maybe I should have left him somber. Smiling, he’s much more deadly!

About that time, Jay came out of the bathroom, dressed in his costume. I didn’t know what scene they were filming, but Jay looked delectable in extremely beat-up, soft looking jeans, that hugged his slim hips and ass, and a red polo shirt, with sneakers and one of those old greek fisherman’s caps.

“You can sit and read, or something,“ I said to him. “Obviously, I’m not done with Tom yet.” When l looked back in the minor, Tom was downcast again. Oh, well. He must be in prep mode, I thought. I made short work of his makeup, and for a few minutes, it was pretty quiet in there. I thought about mentioning Lance, but decided I had had enough embarrassment for the day! Bringing up Luke could wait a day or two, til Tom and I were more comfortable with each other.

If we ever were, because he almost seemed to be pouting, and I wondered if I’d somehow managed to offend him. “Look, Tom, if I’ve made you ang…“ I began.

"Stow it," he said flatly. "Are you done yet?”

“Y-yes, just let me set you.” I brushed translucent powder all over him, then took off the cape, and he practically sprang up out of the chair.

“Let me get your costume,” I said, and got it from the closet. I handed it to him, and he snatched it roughly from me, taking it into the bathroom and slamming the door.

“What’s up with him?” I wondered out loud, and of course Jay heard me.

He grinned, and said “Method actors!”

“I don’t think so,“ I said, pursing my lips. ”I think I’ve done something to piss him off.” I shrugged. ”Oh, well, nothing I can do about it. You saw him shut me down just now.” Jay just nodded.

“Come here, let’s do your hair,” l said. But I couldn’t get Tom’s attitude out of my mind. “It just goes to show you,” I muttered to myself. ”He has a reputation for always being so nice on set, but in reality, he’s kind of a jerk.”

I looked at Jay in the mirror, and saw Tom standing behind me. Two thoughts ran through my head: Damn, he sure moves quietly for such a tall guy. And: Fuck, I think he heard me.

His mouth was set in a taut line, and his whole body was stiff. I put my hand on Jay’s shoulder, bending near him so that I could whisper in his ear. “Do you think you could step out for about five minutes? Between five and ten minutes?” I asked him. ”I want to try to fix this before it gets any worse.”

Jay nodded, and without a word, he got up from the chair and left the trailer.

Tom was standing there, rigid, arms folded across his chest. I stood in front of him, looking up at him.

“Look, Tom, I’m sorry,” I said earnestly. ”Whatever I’ve done, l didn’t mean to make you angry. But it’s going to be a couple of rough months if we can’t get along, and this is only the first day!” I was hating Clarice about now, for landing with this petulant, childish actor.

He stood glaring at me for a few more minutes, before he seemed to, I don’t know, slump all over. He stayed standing, but he almost seemed boneless, and as I watched, he totally relaxed before my eyes.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “No, I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s not you, it’s me.” He looked at me searchingly for a moment, then raised a hand towards my face, then caught himself and dropped it back to his side. He started to say something, then stopped, then started again.

“You’re a girl who says what she thinks, aren’t you?” he asked me.

“Yes, I guess I’ve proven that already today,“ I said, and I could feel myself blushing a little.

“How about actions?“ he asked, not meeting my eyes. “Do you act on your impulses?”

“It depends. On what they are,” I said quietly. “Usually yes, rarely no. But sometimes, no.”

He bit his bottom lip. “The thing is,” he started. “What l mean to say is…” He licked his lips. “Fuck it all! My problem is, that I want to kiss you!” and bringing up his hand and tipping my chin, he proceeded to do just that!

His mouth was warm and his lips were soft, and when I felt his tongue asking permission, I moaned a little and opened my mouth. His tongue met mine, and I tangled my hands in his hair and pulled him closer. I’m not sure what would have happened, because at that point, Jay cleared his throat behind me.

“What a way to kiss and make up!” he said, smirking again. Tom and I sprang apart, and I know I had to have been glowing neon red. Tom was a little pink as well, and we were both breathing a little heavily.

“Oh, my gosh, how unprofessional,” I was nearly hysterical at this point. Professional hair and makeup technicians do not snog the talent! “Tom, I’m so sorry,“ I gasped out. “Jay, back in the chair. Tom, we’ve smudged your makeup. Oh dammit!” I collapsed onto the couch, my face in my hands.

I felt other hands gently pull mine away, and then I was hoisted to my feet. It was Tom, and he was smiling down at me. Damn, it looked a little like it might be a moony, tender smile.

I leveled my best ‘stop being a brat’ look at him. “You,“ I said, poking my finger into his chest. “Sit. On the couch. Don’t move! And you,” I said, turning back towards Jay, “stop laughing and hold still so that I can finish your hair!”

Somehow I managed to get Jay’s hair done, then made them switch places. As Tom sat in the chair and our eyes met in the mirror, I have to admit, I felt a little dizzy. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. OK, I can do this, I thought. I had to repair Tom’s make up, and then I did his hair. I had thoroughly messed it up while I was kissing him, but like everything else about him, his hair is perfect: soft, and so full of body, it was really easy to make it do what I wanted it to do.

“There, you’ll do,” I said, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “Bethany…“ his voice trailed off, and then he started again. ”Since we’re being so honest with each other, I want to ask you something.

“Wonderful!” l said. “Ask away!”

“Why don’t you call me Mr. Hiddleston?” and I swear, the big dork was pouting.


	4. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over-lapping, but it's fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bethany’s last chapter was really short, and this one of Tom’s is really long! Well, he does like to talk! I’m sure enjoying writing this! Thanks for reading, and enjoy! Also, Tom wanking smut this chapter…

Chapter 4, Tom

Whew! Well, I managed to get into the bathroom with my shaving kit and knock-around clothes, without Bethany being any the wiser about my “condition.” I stood and looked at myself in the mirror for a minute. To be honest, it had been awhile since I’d had that kind of reaction to a girl. I mean, obviously, I’m a man, so you know l get urges, but I’m also an adult — usually I can control the physical manifestations of such urges! But Bethany’s sassiness and spunkiness had totally taken me by surprise, and my body had reacted to it like a randy teenager!

I decided to shave before I got dressed, that way I wouldn’t have to worry about getting any itchy little hairs in my clothes. You have to be really diligent when shaving for film; any random stubble looks absolutely appalling on the big screen. And I pride myself on my good grooming. With that in mind, I lathered up and began the painstaking process of making myself clean-shaven for the camera. l couldn’t help thinking about Bethany, the way she eyed me up and down, the sound of her voice when she told me I was “ripped, “and “good-looking.”

Shit. The Hard-on From Hell was back, harder than ever! Dammit. Well, the good news was, Bethany couldn’t possibly be done with Jay’s makeup. I was sure l still had plenty of time. And I had to be honest with myself: if I expected to be able to concentrate on my lines and have a successful day of filming, I was going to need to not have a boner the size of Mjolnir in my pants! I was going to have to take myself in hand, as it were.

Setting aside my towel, I wrapped my hand around my hard cock, stroking it slowly to begin with. I grinned when I imagined what Bethany would look like, on the floor at my feet, looking up at me with those sassy blue eyes. She’d open her mouth and lick me to start with, swirling around the head, and then she’d open her mouth and suck gently, bobbing up and down. I would gently grasp a handful of her hair to encourage her, and she’d go a little faster. In my fantasy, she’d deep-throat me, which almost never happens in real life, because, let’s just say, I am particularly blessed in that area. I would let her continue for a while, but eventually, l would stop her, because, to be honest, l find that I get much more pleasure in the giving than l do in the receiving! I would stand her up and lay her down, and bury my face between her delectable thighs! After parting her folds gently with my fingertips, I would lick her from bottom to top, but I’d tease her a little; I wouldn’t go where she most wanted me until she was squirming and begging for it! Then I’d find her g-spot with my fingers and suck her clit into my mouth, and then she’d…

I let out a little moan as I came, spilling into my hand. Shit, I hadn’t even gotten as far as fantasy fucking her yet! I continued stroking myself, drawing out the pleasure. I suddenly realized that I could hear Bethany and Jay’s muffled voices through the door. Fuck! What if they could hear me? Well, l was…. Singing, that was it! I was singing! What was I singing? Somehow, The Bare Necessities did not seem like the most appropriate song. I started singing the next song that popped into my head: Beauty And The Beast. Yeah, that worked. At least I no longer had a raging hard-on, and no one was any the wiser. I threw on some clean sweatpants and my favorite blue tee shirt, and went back out to join Jay and Bethany.

“I want to go inspect his shave,“ Bethany said to Jay. “Just hold tight, Mr. Baruchel. “

“Bethany,” he whined, spinning the chair around to look at her. “Mr. Baruchel is my dad! It makes me feel fucking old when you call me that!” I could understand that; I feel just the same when I’m called Mr. Hiddleston.

“I’m sorry, Jay!“ she said, her hands on her hips. “I’ll try to remember, but I’ll probably forget again. It’s a defense mechanism.”

I wondered what she meant by that, but I was having all I could handle, not to react to her again! I had just cum, I should not be getting hard again so soon! But she was checking out my shave at this point, cupping my chin in her soft little hand, turning my face this way and that. When she murmured, “Beautiful, Tom,“ I just about lost it. I drew a deep breath and held it for a second, trying to stay calm.

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said, softly, so that Jay wouldn’t hear, and I realized that my subconscious was trying to make the moment intimate. Dammit! What was wrong with me? Bethany backed slowly away, looking at me like l might be an axe murderer, turning to where Jay was still sitting in the chair in front of the mirror. She finished applying the makeup to his eyes, and set the whole thing with powder, then removed the cape. Going to the closet, she pulled the appropriate costume for today’s filming and handed it to him. ”Now Mr. Baru — uh, Jay…”

“Defense mechanism?” he asked, brow raised. Yes, I was curious about that, too. Jay went on, “Maybe if I can understand why you’re doing it, I can help you to stop.”

He had stood up, and as he’s about the same height as I, 6’2”, he was towering over her. She looked up at him and blurted out, “It’s because I find you attractive. Being formal helps me keep some distance. It’s not professional to come on to the talent!” Wait, what? She found Mr. Gawky Geeky Dork attractive? With his receding hairline, his gangly arms and legs, scrawny chest, annoyingly nasal Canadian voice? But… but… she told me I was ripped! She said I was good looking!

Jay looked embarrassed, as well he should! He laughed, and gave her a goofy look. I couldn’t help laughing in disbelief. What was going on here? Bethany glared at me before turning back to Jay.

“Now, Jay,” she told him, “take that costume into the bathroom and get dressed. Try not to rub on your face, and once you’re dressed, I’ll do your hair.”

She turned to me, and gestured towards the chair. “Your turn, Tom,” she said.

She was calling me by my first name. No hint at all that she needed a defense mechanism, to stay formal with me. No ‘Mr. Hiddleston’ for me. I was in shock. I was hurt, I was angry. I couldn’t believe it. This never happened to me!

She stepped back, and asked me, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I said quietly. But I wasn’t. Suddenly, the light had gone out of my day. This beautiful girl, the first girl to catch my in interest in so long, wasn’t attracted to me. Fuck. And now, l was making a fool out of myself by pouting, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I sat in the chair, looking down, not meeting her eyes.

She began by applying moisturizer, proving that she knew her stuff. It helps keep the makeup from soaking into your pores. When she finished, she got out her sponges and the pot of makeup base she’d be using on me.

“Have you ever used Aquacolor?” she asked me, and I forced myself to meet her eyes in the mirror.

“No, I haven’t,” I said quietly, shaking my head. “I usually use Ben Nye.” Because I do!

“Well, then, you’re in for a treat!” she told me, and I couldn’t help being intrigued. I’d heard of Aquacolor, it’s just that, old habits die hard, and I’d been using Ben Nye for years. It is the industry standard, after all. “I think you’ll find it a lot easier on your skin, it stays put better, and it’s easier to remove,” she told me.

“It sounds ideal,” I said, breaking down and giving her a smile, and my breath caught when she smiled back.

“There’s my Tom smile,” she said, lifting my chin with the tips of the fingers of one hand, while she applied the makeup to my throat and neck with the other. I couldn’t help it, that made me grin. It was a sweet thing to say, and I knew that if l wasn’t careful, I would end up totally smitten with this sassy lady.

About that time, Jay came out of the bathroom, dressed in his costume. To save the film’s budget, both Jay and I would actually be wearing our own clothes. I didn’t mind; after all, this way I knew where they’d been, and I knew that they’d fit! Jay had on extremely beat-up, worn-out looking jeans, and a red polo shirt, with sneakers and one of those old greek fisherman’s caps.

“You can sit and read, or something,“ Bethany said smiling at him. “Obviously, I’m not done with Tom yet.” Once again, it seemed that she preferred him to me, and I was having trouble dealing with it. I told myself to grow up, but for once, I was having trouble listening to my inner voice. I knew I was scowling, but, well, there you are.

Bethany noticed. “Look, Tom, if I’ve made you ang…“ she began, but I didn’t want to hear it. If she would rather have Mr. Canada, Eh, then so be it!

"Stow it," I said, rudely. I didn’t care. "Are you done yet?”

“Y-yes, just let me set you.” She brushed translucent powder all over me, then took off the cape, and I couldn’t wait to get up out of that chair.

“Let me get your costume,” she said, and got it from the closet. She handed it to me, and I took it from her, taking it into the bathroom and closing myself in. I quickly dressed; one of my lesser bespoke 3-piece suits, one of my favorite ties, and my favorite pair of black leather shoes. Taking a last look at myself in the mirror, l squared my shoulders and returned to the main room of the trailer.

Just in time to hear Bethany say, “It just goes to show you. He has a reputation for always being so nice on set, but in reality, he’s kind of a jerk.”

She looked at Jay in the mirror, and saw me standing behind her. Nice. I knew that I was bristling. I watched, speechless, while she put her hand on Jay’s shoulder, bending near him so that she could whisper in his ear. Fuck me.

Jay nodded at whatever she said, and without a word, he got up from the chair and left the trailer.

She came over to me, looking concerned, and stood in front of me, looking up, because, she’s just a tiny little thing. I didn’t give an inch. I wondered how she was going to explain herself.

“Look, Tom, I’m sorry,” she said earnestly. ”Whatever I’ve done, l didn’t mean to make you angry. But it’s going to be a couple of rough months if we can’t get along, and this is only the first day!” I didn’t care that I was acting childishly. I wanted her, and she wanted fucking Jay Baruchel. End of story.

I tried to keep it up, but, you know, being negative, it’s just really not in my nature. I forced myself to relax. I told myself sternly to get over it, and this time, I listened.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “No, I’m sorry,” I told her. “It’s not you, it’s me.” I looked at her searchingly for a moment, then I started to raise a hand towards her face, but realized what I was doing and dropped it back to my side. I stammered, trying to find the right words to say, to explain what I was feeling, without telling her everything I was thinking.

“You’re a girl who says what she thinks, aren’t you?” I finally asked.

“Yes, I guess I’ve proven that already today,“ she said honestly, and she, adorably, was blushing a little.

“How about actions?“ I asked, but I couldn’t make myself meet her eyes. “Do you act on your impulses?”

“It depends. On what they are,” she said quietly. “Usually yes, rarely no. But sometimes, no.”

I bit my bottom lip. “The thing is,” I finally thought I knew what I wanted to say. Now I just had to say it. “What l mean to say is…” I was still stalling. Damn it, Tom, say it! “Fuck it all! My problem is, that I want to kiss you!” and bringing up my hand and tipping her chin, I did it!

I kissed her, and it was everything I imagined it would be. She was so responsive, opening her mouth for me when I licked along the seam of her lips. I felt myself getting hard again when she let out a little moan. Her tongue met mine, and she tangled her hands in my hair and pulled me closer. I’m not sure what would have happened, because at that point, Jay cleared his throat behind her. I opened my eyes to see him smirking at us over her shoulder.

“What a way to kiss and make up!” he said, the wanker. Bethany and I sprang apart, both of us a little pink, and we were both breathing a little heavily as well.

“Oh, my gosh, how unprofessional!” Bethany sounded nearly hysterical, and I felt awful for making her feel that way. “Tom, I’m so sorry,“ she continued to apologize, when it was my fault, really. I felt like a total cad.

“Jay, back in the chair,“ she said frantically. “Tom, we’ve smudged your makeup. Oh dammit!” She collapsed onto the couch, her face in her hands.

Gently I pulled her hands away, and hoisted her to her feet. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

Damn, she looked angry. “You,“ she said, poking a finger into my chest. “Sit. On the couch. Don’t move! And you,” she said, turning back towards Jay, “stop laughing and hold still so that I can finish your hair!”

She made short work of Jay’s hair (and really good work it was!), and then he and I switched places. I met her eyes in the mirror, and I was struck once again with a fierce longing for her! I tried not to move as she quickly repaired my make up, and then had to bite my lip to keep from moaning as she dressed my hair. It felt so wonderful!

“There, you’ll do,” she said, looking at me in the mirror.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “Bethany…“ suddenly tongue-tied, I tried again. I had to know… ”Since we’re being so honest with each other, I want to ask you something.”

“Wonderful!” she said, but I didn’t believe her. But she said. “Ask away!”

So I did.

“Why don’t you call me Mr. Hiddleston?”


	5. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Bethany is caught between two irritatingly hot men...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Bethany! Tom is really messing with her head! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 5, Bethany

How to answer that? What exactly did he mean? Was I being too forward? But he was the one who had kissed me, after telling me he wanted to! Never mind that I’d responded like there was no tomorrow! I decided to just be honest. “Do you want me to call you Mr. Hiddleston? I meant no disrespect.” I said, looking puzzled, I’m sure.

His mouth pursed, and he made a little frustrated sound. ”No!” he said forcefully. “That’s not what I meant!”

I think both of us had forgotten Jay standing there, until he cleared his throat, and said, “I hate to be this way, but we’re all due on set in fifteen.”

Tom stood and whirled to face me, and he was standing too close. Nervously, I backed up a step, and his jaw clenched. “I still want to talk with you,” he said, scraping his top teeth over his bottom lip.

“Well, I’m on set for touchups between takes,” I said, sidling away to start packing up my gear. “Maybe during a break…”

“Bethany,“ he said, taking a step towards me. I could tell he wanted to say more, but he checked himself, and looked at me searchingly. “Never mind,” he said, turning away, but then he looked at me over his shoulder before he left the trailer. “I’ll talk to you on set,” he said, and then he left.

I had to gather my composure before I could continue, so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Once more, I’d forgotten Jay, who was still standing there.

“Uh, do you want me to wait for you?” he said, taking a step towards me. I looked at my watch. Ten minutes, and I still had to finish packing up the gear I’d need for touchups.

”No, that’s OK,” I said, as I was shoving things into my bag. “You go. They won’t kill me if I’m a few minutes late, but for you, it could be deadly!” I made a throat-cutting gesture, drawing my index finger across my throat, and Jay laughed.

“OK,” he said. ”I’ll see you on set.” He left the trailer, pulling the door shut behind him.

Now that I was alone, I wished I’d had time to pull myself together, but I was already late. It didn’t take me long to pack up, and as soon as I had, l headed for the set as well. I probably wouldn’t be needed for a while, but you never know when an actor could have a hair, makeup, or costume emergency, so I was required to be prepared for everything. It was nerve-wracking having the sole responsibility for the appearance of the two actors, but it was exciting, too, and would certainly look good on my resume!

So, while I had a little time on my hands, of course I thought about Tom and his odd behavior. I was so confused! The man was sending out mixed signals, and I didn’t know what it meant or what to think. On the one hand, he seemed angry with me, and on the other hand, he told me he wanted to kiss me, and then he proceeded to do so, and a very thorough job he did indeed! It had been a mind-blowing kiss, and I was still reeling from it. And then, he was miffed that l wasn’t calling him mister, and I didn’t know what that was about, either! Well, hopefully we would be able to hash it out, because it was going to be a long two and a half months if we couldn’t!

The director, Danny, yelled, “Cut, everybody take fifteen!” and that was my cue. I gathered up my bag, wondering which of the two men I should go to first. They were standing together off to the side, chatting, and as I began to head their direction, still wondering which to work on first, Jay took the decision out of my hands by approaching me.

”Hey,” he said, smiling shyly, as I got out my brushes and poufs, applying more powder, blotting the sheen of perspiration off of his face, and teasing some height back into his hair, which had begun to flatten a little.

“Hey, yourself!” I said, smiling at him. He was just so goofy, he made me laugh. It was why I’ve always loved his movies. “How’s filming going? I mean, it looks good, but how’s it feel?”

“It feels really good,” he said, relaxing a little. ”Tom really is great to work with. He’s really professional on set, and seems to put everyone at ease.” Jay gave me a speculative look. ”Hey, can I ask you something?“ he said, kinda hesitantly, and he was blushing a little.

“Of course,” I said, distracted, because I was still working on his hair.

“This morning, when you said you found me attractive… Did you mean that?”

He was looking down at me, smirking but shy, and I looked up, smiling my best flirtatious smile and said, “Oh, absolutely!” Because I did. He’s funny and smart, with beautiful eyes and a lush mouth, and I like his wayward hair.

That earned me a huge, goofy smile. “Cool!” he said, his eyes twinkling.

Looking at him mostly mock-seductively, I said, ”Do you maybe want to do something about it?”

He cocked his head and looked at me sideways. “Oh, I’d like to,” he said softly, and I felt a little shiver run down my spine. “But… I can’t!” he said, smiling a little wistfully, before giving me a little salute and walking away. Damn. A flirtation with Jay would have been fun.

Tom waited until Jay was all the way out of earshot before he approached me. Now, he was an entirely different prospect! I did find Jay attractive, yes, but he was simple, safe. I was pretty sure that I wasn’t in any danger from him; he’d never break my heart.

Tom, on the other hand, was every girl’s fantasy, walking around living and breathing. To say that I was attracted to him, was so much understatement, that the phrase really had no meaning. My reactions to him were visceral; witness that devastating kiss this morning, causing me to break all kinds of personal and professional rules! I sensed that he was capable of, not only breaking my heart, but l felt that there was the potential of, if I let him in, he would actually have the power to destroy my world, should he choose to wield it. It was scary, and exiting, and as he sauntered over to me, I held my breath, and l said a little prayer that I would actually survive getting to know him.

“Bethany,“ he said quietly, as he approached me, closing his eyes so that I could work on his face.

“Hey. Mr. Hiddleston,” said, blotting and powdering, “how’s filming going?”

A smirky smile touched his lips as he said, “Call me Tom!”

“Oh… oh, you!“ I stammered, frustrated again. “I just don’t get you!”

He just chuckled, not saying anything, damn him!

Finally, I was done with his face, and he opened his eyes, and I fell into them the way you might fall into a lake on a hot, hot day. I couldn’t help letting out a startled little ”Oh,” and he gave me a huge smile with his tongue between his teeth.

“I was wondering if you like to get a coffee with me after we wrap up for the day?“ he asked. “Or maybe dinner, if we’re hungry?” He looked so frank, so guileless, so friendly, that even though every scrap of common sense I possess was screaming at me to yell ‘no!’ and run away fast, what I actually said was, “Yes, I think I’d like that.”

And he gave a triumphant grin, and bent down a little so that I could freshen up his hair. When I was done, he stood back up. “See you at the next cut,” he said, smiling a heart-melting smile. ”OMG, this man is deadly,” l thought to myself, as he turned and walked back over to where Jay was. Jay had a questioning look on his face, and I saw Tom give him a thumbs up. It appeared as if they were getting along, and that could only be good for the filming.

The rest of the day passed much the same way. Every time there was a cut, Jay would approach me, and I would do his touchup, and then Tom would come over, and I’d do his. Both men pretty much flirted shamelessly with me; Tom was trying quite a bit harder. I struggled to remain professional on set, refusing to flirt back. At one point, I actually swatted Tom’s hand away, as he reached up to brush my hair back from my face.

“Tom,” I hissed at him. “Be professional!”

He smirked at me. “I am being professional, darling,” he said, before going back to his places.

As we got closer to quitting time for the day, I got more and more excited. Bottom line was, he had asked me out, and, to tell you the truth, I felt as giddy as a schoolgirl.

When Danny finally said, “Cut! That’s a wrap for the night, folks,” Jay and Tom both came up to me.

“We thought we could all walk back to the trailer together,“ said Jay, his hands in his pockets.

“Of course,” I said, trying to shoulder my heavy bag, but Tom took it from me, as if it weighed nothing, and I walked between the two of them, as we returned to the trailer. Once inside, Jay headed for the bathroom to shower and change. Tom sat on the couch, and I perched in the hair and makeup chair. I swiveled the chair, back and forth with my foot, suddenly nervous now that I was basically alone with him.

“Relax,” he said softly, evidently sensing my distress. ”I’m harmless, I can assure you!”

“That’s probably what Jack The Ripper said, too,” l quipped, hoping he’d buy my brash act.

“But I really mean it,” he said, looking vaguely hurt.

“Sorry, Tom,” I said, smiling at him to take the sting out.

“So, are you hungry?” he asked me. “Should we go for dinner, or do you just want to get a coffee?”

“Are you buying?” l asked cheekily.

“Of course,” he said, hitting me again with that killer smile.

“Then, I’d love it if you’d take me to dinner, Mr. Hiddleston.” And I gave him what I hoped was a killer smile of my own.

“Delighted,“ he said, rising, as Jay had come out of the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower “Just let me wash up and change, and we can go.”

“Well, I’m off,” Jay said, waving a little. “See both of you lovely people tomorrow!”

“Goodnight, Jay,” Tom called from the bathroom.

“Yes, goodnight Jay,” l said, smiling. “See you tomorrow.”

I heard the shower start up again, and it didn’t take Tom long to take off the day’s makeup and wash the product out of his hair, and then he was coming back out of the bathroom dressed once again in the sweatpants and tee shirt he’d had on that morning. “We’ll have to go someplace casual, I’m afraid,” he said ruefully, looking down at himself. “I wasn’t expecting to meet a beautiful girl and want to take her to dinner!”

I felt myself blush to the roots of my hair. ”Oh, flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Hiddleston,” I said flirtatiously.

“Oh, I’m counting on it, darling,” he said, giving me a wink, and when he held out his hand, I took it, and he pulled me close and dropped a chaste kiss on my lips. As he pulled away, he gave me a slow, wide smile, and I knew that I was in very serious trouble indeed.


	6. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom tells his side of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is sure fun to write! And, I haven’t forgotten that Bethany is supposed to be setting up Lance with Luke. She might do that over dinner, and it’s probably gonna piss Tom off a bit… yup… Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 6, Tom

“Do you want me to call you Mr. Hiddleston? I meant no disrespect,” she said, looking puzzled. Unbelievable. She didn’t get it. She’d either been making it up when she’d said it to Jay, or, she really wasn’t attracted to me. And I refused to even dignify that possibility with a second thought. She had to find me at least a little attractive! She’d responded to my kiss, after all. Of course, I have been told that I’m really good at kissing, but still. It was a most enthusiastic response that I got from her!

I couldn’t help my frustration showing a little, and I’m afraid I made a rude noise, as well. ”No!” I said to the obtuse woman. “That’s not what I meant!”

I think both of us had forgotten that Jay was standing there, until he cleared his throat, and said, “I hate to be this way, but we’re all due on set in fifteen.”

I stood up and turned to face Bethany, unable to prevent myself from moving closer to her. Oh, how I wanted her! Looking nervous, she took a step back, and I gritted my teeth in frustration. “I still want to talk with you,” I said. When I get into uncomfortable situations, I bite my lip, and I was doing that now.

“Well, I’m on set for touchups between takes,” she said, going over to the counter and beginning to pack up her gear. “Maybe during a break…”

“Bethany,“ I said, moving closer to her again. I wanted to ask her out, but what if she really wasn’t attracted to me? What if she really did want Jay? She’d told him, in front of me, that she found him attractive. What if he wanted her? I am too much of a gentleman to behave that way, to come between them if they wanted to be together. Obviously, the thing to do would be to ask Jay what his intentions towards her were, if he had any at all. If he was not interested in pursuing her, then I would ask her out! But I couldn’t help looking at her, she was so beautiful, and for a split second, I wished I could know what she was thinking. Then I remembered that movie with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. No, I was glad I didn’t know what she was thinking! “Never mind,” I finally said, turning away, but I couldn’t keep myself from looking at her over my shoulder before I left the trailer. “I’ll talk to you on set,” I said, and shut the trailer door.

It wasn’t long before Jay caught up with me. He must have left soon after I did. “Is Bethany coming?“ I asked, looking sideways at him.

“Yeah, she’ll be along in a few minutes,” he said, hands in his pockets as we walked companionably together. “She just had to finish packing up all the gear she’ll need for us today.”

“Of course,” I murmured. Makeup and hair products, of course, but also, as our costumer, she’d need needles and thread, pins, fabric tape, and other essentials for wardrobe emergencies. It was a big job.

As Jay and I walked together towards the filming location, l realized how much we have in common. Danny and Davy had been inspired in casting us to play brothers. We are of a similar height and build (l am actually a bit bigger), close in age (l am just over a year older), we both have, yes, I admit it, receding hairlines, and surprisingly, a lot of similar mannerisms. I was suddenly struck with affection for him. Throughout this whole, crazy morning, both Bethany and I blurting out whatever we felt like, wearing our hearts on our sleeves, of the three of us, Jay had kept an even keel. Just walking along next to him was having a calming influence on me. I realized that right now was the perfect time to ask him if he were interested in pursuing Bethany.

“Jay, can I ask you something?” I asked, looking sideways at him again as we walked along.

“I think you just did,” he said. I did find his accent to be annoying, but nobody’s perfect!

I cleared my throat, a little impatiently. “No, I’m serious,” I said, and he smirked at me.

“Ask away,” he said, looking back at me mischievously.

“About Bethany…” Suddenly, I felt like a school boy. I didn’t know how to put what I wanted to ask into words. “Are you…? The thing is… Do you. ..?” Dammit.

Jay was laughing at me now, the wanker! Did I say liked him? What was I thinking!

“Just spit it out, man,“ he said, smirking again.

I took a deep breath. “AIl right,” I said. “Here goes… Do you like her? Because she said she finds you attractive, and she keeps calling you Mr. Baruchel, but I really like her, and she doesn’t call me Mr. Hiddleston. But I couldn’t resist, and I kissed her while you were in the bathroom, and she kissed me back, I think you saw. But if you want her, she already said that she fancies you, but if you don’t want her, are you OK with me asking her out?” I had said it in a rush, and now I was a little breathless, and I realized that I sounded absolutely bananas!

But Jay, bless him, stopped walking, threw his head back and laughed uproariously. “Oh, Tom, even if I liked her, I wouldn’t dare get in your way,” he said, after he’d calmed down enough to be capable of speech. “I mean, I do like her, and I maybe would have enjoyed a little movie-time fling, but clearly, you are way more invested in this than I am, so how could I possibly be so rude as to stand in your way?”

“Really?” I asked him eagerly, but then I got worried again. ”Do you think she even likes me? She doesn’t use her ‘defense mechanism’ to keep her distance. She doesn’t call me, Mr. Hiddleston.”

“You wanna know what I think about that?” he asked me, arching a brow.

“Yes, please,” I said. “Do tell me. I’m afraid she’s got me all a-sea!”

“I think she’s beyond attracted to you,” he said. ”You said it yourself, she returned your kiss, and it looked hotter than fuck, by the way. I think she finds you so attractive, that she forgets her own name. That is the vibe I’m getting from her.”

“Man, do you really think so?” I asked, quite frankly stunned. “I’m not picking up on that at all.”

“That’s because all you can hear, feel, see, whatever, is your reaction to her,” he told me. ”Let me tell you, as a person on the outside looking in at the two of you, you are both sending out such strong signals, I’m lucky my hair hasn’t caught on fire!”

“Damn, I’m sorry,” I said, embarrassed. “I‘ll try to reign it in. But, so, do you think if I asked her out, she’d say yes?”

Once again, he was smirking at me. “I don’t think she’d be able to help herself,” he said.

Filming was going well, but I wasn’t surprised when Danny, who was the director, yelled, “Cut, everybody take fifteen!”

I saw Bethany gathering up her bag. Jay and l were standing together a little ways away. “Well, should we go to her, or let her come to us?” I asked him, running my hand through my hair.

‘’I’ll go,” Jay said. “When I’m done, wait til I step away, and then you come over. It will look mysterious,” he said.

“You’re kind of weird, you know that?” I said to him, biting my lip.

“Maybe,” he said, smirking yet again, “but I’ve been really successful with it.”

Bethany had begun to approach us, when Jay reached her.

I was too far away to hear what they were saying, but Bethany was smiling at him, and obviously flirting, and once again, I felt a little pang of jealousy, and I wondered if Jay had been being truthful when he’d said he’d back off.

But it didn’t take her long to get him squared away, and l did as he said, and waited til he was out of earshot, before I approached her. Damn, she was beautiful. I was once again reminded of it, and my damn cock twitched in my trousers. Sternly, I told him to behave himself, as I finally got close enough to speak with her.

“Bethany,“ I said quietly, as I approached her, and automatically, I closed my eyes so that she could work on my face.

“Hey, Mr. Hiddleston,” she said, blotting and powdering, “how’s filming going?”

It just sounded wrong, and I knew she didn’t mean it the way I wanted her to mean it. It wasn’t for the correct reasons, so what was the point? “Call me Tom,” I said.

“Oh… oh, you!“ she stammered, sounding frustrated. “I just don’t get you!”

I just chuckled, not saying anything. Maybe Jay was right? Let her stew on that! Might as well mess with her head as much as she was messing with mine!

She made quick work of fixing my face, and I opened my eyes. And got sucked in to hers. It was like two magnets lining up, and we were stuck fast, and couldn’t look away. She gasped out a little ”Oh,” and I knew I was giving her one of my goofy smiles. I felt almost powerless to resist her, dammit.

Taking a deep breath, not giving myself time to talk myself out of it, l said, “I was wondering if you like to get a coffee with me after we wrap up for the day? Or maybe dinner, if we’re hungry?” I tried to look honest, trustworthy, friendly, so that I wouldn’t spook her.

After only a brief hesitation, she spoke. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”

And I could help giving her a triumphant grin, and I bent down a little so that she could freshen up my hair. When she was done, I stood back up. “See you at the next cut,” I said, smiling at her. I turned and walked back over to where Jay was. He had a questioning look on his face, and I gave him a thumbs up. He looked happy for me, and I knew I was grinning like a barmy loon.

The rest of the day passed much the same way. Every time there was a cut, Jay would approach her first, and she would do his touchup, and then I would go over, and she’d do mine. I knew that both of us were flirting with her shamelessly, but I knew Jay didn’t mean anything by it, he was quick to reassure me; and I was trying quite a bit harder. She chose to remain strictly professional, refusing to flirt back. At one point, she actually swatted my hand away, when I reached up to brush some hair back from her face.

“Tom,” she hissed at me. “Be professional!” and I smirked at her.

“I am being professional, darling,” I said, before going back to my places.

As we got closer to quitting time for the day, I was getting more and more wound up. Bottom line was, she had said she’d go out with me, and I was almost uncontrollably excited.

When Danny finally said, “Cut! That’s a wrap for the night, folks,” Jay and I looked at each other.

“Let’s go get her,” he said. “We’re all going to the same place, let’s go together.”

I gave him a grin, and we both approached her.

“We thought we could all walk back to the trailer together,“ he told her, his hands in his pockets.

“Of course,” she said, trying to shoulder her bag. I took it from her, and damn, that thing was heavy! She walked between the two of us, as we returned to the trailer. Once inside, Jay headed for the bathroom to shower and change. I sat down on the couch, and Bethany took a seat in the hair and makeup chair. She swiveled the chair nervously, back and forth with her foot, and I wondered, once again, what she was thinking. We were alone together, except for Jay, but I could hear the shower still running, and l could tell she was aware of it as well.

“Relax,” I said softly, trying to put her at ease. ”I’m harmless, I can assure you!”

“That’s probably what Jack The Ripper said, too,” she quipped, and I know she was just trying to put on some bravado, but I actually felt vaguely hurt.

“But I really mean it,” I said protestingly.

“Sorry, Tom,” she said, smiling at me, and I felt stupidly pleased. Man, I did have it bad for her!

“So, are you hungry?” I asked her now. “Should we go for dinner, or do you just want to get a coffee?”

“Are you buying?” she asked cheekily.

“Of course,” I said, smiling at her.

“Then, I’d love it if you’d take me to dinner, Mr. Hiddleston.” And my breath caught at the killer smile she gave me.

I took a deep breath and stood up. “Delighted,“ I said, and bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

At that moment, Jay came out of the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower.

“Just let me wash up and change, and we can go,“ I said, gathering up the clothes I meant to change in to, and closing myself in the bathroom.

Before I could start the shower I heard Jay calling. “Well, I’m off,” he said. “See both of you lovely people tomorrow!”

“Goodnight, Jay,” I called from the bathroom.

“Yes, goodnight Jay,” l heard Bethany say. “See you tomorrow.”

I started up the shower, and it didn’t take me long to take off the day’s makeup and wash the product out of my hair, and then I quickly dressed once again in the sweatpants and tee shirt I’d had on that morning, and l went to join her in the main room of the trailer. “We’ll have to go someplace casual, I’m afraid,” I said ruefully, looking down at myself. “I wasn’t expecting to meet a beautiful girl and want to take her to dinner!”

She blushed positively scarlet. Maybe Jay was right. Maybe she was attracted to me after all! ”Oh, flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Hiddleston,” she said flirtatiously.

“Oh, I’m counting on it, darling,” I said, giving her a wink, and when I held out my hand, she took it, and thrilled, I pulled her close and dropped a chaste kiss on her lips. As I pulled away, I gave her a slow, wide smile, and I decided then and there that she would be mine.


	7. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um, Tom, you jerk!
> 
> And, we finally meet Lance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally am loving telling it from both sides. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7, Bethany

“Do you have a car here?” Tom asked me, as we walked to the parking lot.

“Yes, I drove today so that I wouldn’t have to carry my gear on the Metro,” l answered, looking up at him. The trailer was secured, so I felt comfortable leaving everything there, but for this morning I had driven.

Tom looked disappointed. “I wanted to drive you. I don’t want to be apart.”

He was still holding my hand, and now I squeezed his and said, “I guess I could leave it here. You’ll have to bring me back here to get it after dinner, so l guess we’d better not have an ugly fight! I don’t want to be stranded!” l stopped walking and my shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, that was a really dumb thing to say! I don’t know why I say such outrageous things around you, Tom.”

But, of course, l did know. It was because simply being around him was short-circuiting any chance at coherency I had. I had been on edge all day, and now, I was alone with him, on a date, and already so aroused, I knew the most likely ending of the evening, if I was honest with myself. I’m not the kind of girl to just fall into bed with a man the first day I meet him. But this was no ordinary man: this was Tom Fucking Hiddleston; I was aware that before the night was over, I probably would be. Fucking him, that is. If he wanted it, wanted me, I don’t think there was any way I would be able to resist him. And I didn’t know if I’d even want to try.

Now, he turned towards me, and brought his free hand up to my face, caressing it, and I couldn’t help it; I leaned into his touch. “We got off to such a wrong start,” he said quietly. “We really need to talk and clear the air. And, I think we should do ourselves a favor, and be honest with each other, hmm?”

It was beginning to get dark, but I could still see the sincerity and passion shining in his blue eyes looking down at me, and I felt… it’s hard to describe, and I know it sounds, unbelievable, I guess, but I swear, I felt my universe shift, and I could tell from the quick, indrawn breath he made, that he had felt it too.

I nodded, looking up at him, and I know my eyes were impossibly wide. “OK,” I said simply.

Tom blinked, and the moment was over, but I could still feel it, somewhere inside of me.

“Do you have a favorite place to eat?” he asked me now. “I don’t know this part of town at all.”

“I’ve not been around here much, either,” I told him. “Sorry.” Later, we would be filming on location at Cambridge, and the entire cast and crew were to be staying at a small bed and breakfast inn. But we were filming the London scenes first, so I was just commuting from my flat, and I assuming Tom was as well.

“I think I remember passing a pub on the way here this morning,” Tom said now, as we got into his car. Tom drives a Jag, and as it was my first time riding in one, I couldn’t help being a little dazzled by the luxury.

“Nice car,” I told him, grinning. 

“Thanks,” he said, returning my smile. “I finally felt that I had earned it.” Tom is a skillful driver, and I allowed myself to relax and sink back into the seat, breathing a heavy sigh, closing my eyes and letting all the tensions of the day drain away.

“I am so weary,” I said, sighing again. “It was such a crazy day. I am an emotional wreck!”

“I suppose that’s mostly my fault?” Tom was more asking a question than making a statement, and I thought for a moment before I answered. 

“Mostly,“ I admitted. “But really, it’s more a matter of how I’ve reacted and responded to you, rather than anything you yourself have done.”

“And how is that?” he asked quietly. “How have you ‘reacted and responded’ to me, exactly?”

“Oh, come on, Tom, you know how I’ve reacted and responded, you arrogant arse!“ I said impatiently. “I…”

“I don’t actually,” he said quietly, interrupting me. “I only know how I’ve reacted and responded to you. Loki may be able to read minds, but I cannot.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I wish I could see you,“ he said. “There’s something I really want to know, but I want to see your face when you tell me. And here’s that pub.”

We turned into the parking lot of a brightly lit little pub. Tom parked the car, then, before I could open my door, he had come around and opened it for me. I murmured my thanks, and then he took my arm and led me inside.

Tom asked for a booth in the back and once we were seated with menus, he looked at me searchingly. “We’re past the point of pretense,” he said, “so I’m just going to say this. It’s been bothering me all day.”

I looked at him as sincerely as I could. “Please, what is it, Tom?” I asked him earnestly. “Tell me. “

“You call me Tom,” he said plaintively.

I shook my head. “You asked me to call you Tom.“ I didn’t get it.

“You called me Tom from the beginning,“ he said accusingly. “You called Jay ‘Mr. Baruchel,’ and when he asked you why, you said it was because you were attracted to him. But, you never called me ‘Mr. Hiddleston.’ You’re attracted to Jay. But not to me.” And I swear, he stuck out his bottom lip like a three year old.

I couldn’t help it: I leaned across the table and ran my thumb over that jutting lower lip. “Yes, Tom, I am attracted to Jay. He’s sweet, and funny, and nice, and smart, and quite nice looking.” Tom was pushing that lip against my thumb, and it was all I could do not to get up, go around the table, and kiss him senseless.

Finally, he pulled this face away. ”Then why come out with me, if you’re not attracted to me?”

“Tom,“ I said, exasperated, “just because I’m attracted to Jay, doesn’t mean I’m not attracted to you.”

“But…” he started, but I cut him off.

“No, listen,” l said. “I’m going to try to explain this in a way that doesn’t make me sound like an obsessed fan girl.” He liked that; he started grinning.

“This is why I don’t want to tell you!” I said, gesturing at him. “Your ego is already gigantic, you don’t need me telling you how breathless you make me, how tied up in knots my stomach is, how, when I do your hair, it’s all I can do keep myself from playing in it, how hard it is to do your makeup because of how badly I want to pet your face, how I find the way you smell almost intoxicating…” As I was speaking, his smile just got bigger and bigger, and as my voice faded, he was absolutely beaming. I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them at looked at him pleadingly. “I call you Tom, because, in my mind, that’s who you are. Calling you ’Mr. Hiddleston’ wouldn’t do me any good, so why bother.“ I took another deep breath. ”Now you know.”

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew I shouldn’t have said them. I had just given him incredible power me! It was probably stuff he already knew, but I didn’t have to lay it all out like that. “I shouldn’t have said all that,” I said now, and I couldn’t meet his eyes.

He reached out a hand and tipped up my chin, forcing me to look at him.” I won’t take advantage of what you’ve just told me,” he said softly. Wow, he was intuitive! “And, you already know that I find you irresistible. I absolutely couldn’t keep myself from kissing you this morning.”

“And, I kissed you back!” I said, grinning at him.

At that point the waitress came to take our order. We both ordered fish and chips, and when she went to put it up, we went back to our conversation, but it was more relaxed now.

Tom propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand, gazing at me a little moonily. “Tell me about yourself.”

So, I told him about my large family: mum and dad, three brothers and a sister, all older than me. Mum and dad retired to the USA, to be near my two eldest brothers, who run a ranch together in central Oregon, my other brother is an attorney in Chicago, my sis is an interpreter for the U.N. in New York. I’m the only one still living in Great Britain.

Tom told me that he is the middle of three children, he has two sisters, one older and one younger. His mum and dad divorced when he was a teen, and it had really affected him, and was a large influence on his desire to become an actor.

“How did you become an HMC tech?” he asked me curiously.

“Lucky break, really,” I said, somewhat nostalgically. “After cosmetology school, I was working in a salon. One of my clients was actually a director of a telly program, and one day their regular girl got sick, on a day he had his appointment with me. He begged me to come help out, and I did, and I love it, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve done telly, film, and live theater. They’re all different and all fascinating.”

“I know what you mean,” Tom said enthusiastically. ”I’ve done all three as well, and it’s three separate experiences. So then, where do you go from here?”

“Well, actually, I’ve just signed a five year contract with Disney,” I told him excitedly. “I’ve been mostly doing freelance work, and then I got on with Claire’s agency, that’s who I’m working for on this film. So that will all change, starting right after this film wrap, which I get to do because I had already committed before I signed the contract. I had my brother in Chicago look over the contract before I signed it, and while I can’t work on other film projects, I could still do live theater, so I’m glad of that.”

“Do you live alone, Bethany?” Tom asked seriously. “I assume you don’t have a boyfriend!”

I chucked a little. Now seemed like as good as any to feel him out about Luke. “No,“ I said, “no boyfriend. I do have a roommate, Lance. He’s an actor. Well, actually, he’s a waiter, who sometimes takes acting jobs.”

Tom frowned a little. “You have a male roommate?”

“It’s not like that, Tom,” I assured him. “Lance is gay.”

Tom let out a breath I didn’t know he’d been holding. ”So you two never….” he asked hesitantly.

“No, never,” I said. “He is going to be excited when I tell him I’m working with you, though. He made me promise several years ago that if I ever had a chance to work with you, that I am to get close to you so that I can set him up. He thinks your publicist, Luke, is the love of his life. I don’t suppose you could maybe introduce them?”

I hadn’t noticed, but as I was speaking, Tom’s expression was getting darker and darker. “Is this the real reason you agreed to come out with me?” he said flatly.

“Wait, what?” I was so confused. We were just talking, having a great time, and now he was looking at me like he hated the sight of me. His quicksilver moods were starting to really annoy me.

“Forget I said anything,” I said, trying not to grind my teeth. “It’s certainly not at all the reason why I came out with you, although, the way you’re acting, I’m not sure if I remember why I did come out with you!”

“Just once, I wish I could find someone who wanted to be with me because I’m me!” he said angrily. “Everyone always has a fucking agenda.”

Well, I was so done. I didn’t need this. I don’t know who had torked his chain, but I didn’t deserve to be treated like this. I stood, and getting into my purse, I dug out some bills and threw them on the table. “New agenda for me,“ I snapped. “Don’t go out to dinner with utter arse holes!” And with that, I stormed out of the pub.

Great. My car was back at the set. Nothing else for it; I pulled out my phone and called Lance. Quickly I explained that I was stranded, and where I was, and he’s said he’d come right away. I figured it would take him around twenty minutes to get there.

I knew there was a good chance that Tom would come out during that time. We’d been almost finished with our meal when I had stormed out. I didn’t want him to see me, so I moved over to where there was a low hedge and ducked behind it. Sure enough, it was only about five minutes later that he came out of the pub, hands in his pockets, looking all around, a dark look still on his face. I don’t know why, but I felt that he was looking for me, and l was glad that I thought to hide. I didn’t want to talk to him any more tonight. I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk to him any more, ever!

As far as I was concerned, Tom Hiddleston could fuck off!

After looking up and down the block for several minutes, he went and got into his car and drove off, and I relaxed a little. Not too long after that, Lance arrived, and, as fed up as I was, I decided to just leave my car on set. I could take the Metro to work tomorrow. “Take me home!” I said wearily to Lance.

“Rough day?” he asked sympathetically.

“You have no idea,” I said, closing my eyes and resting my head back against the seat, the same way I’d done in Tom’s car on the way to the pub. ”I’m working with two famous actors. One of them is Jay Baruchel.” Both Lance and I were big fans.

“Who’s the other?” Lance asked, mostly to be polite, I think.

“Well, you’re not going to like it,” I said. “It’s Tom Hiddleston,” I said flatly. "But before you ask, let me tell you, it’s not happening. The man’s a total jerk. And he hates me.” And with that, I burst into tears.


	8. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not as much over-lap this Tom. Feeling silly, Tom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say that I am having so much fun writing this! I love being in all my characters’ heads! Thanks for reading, let me know if you like it, and enjoy! special thanks to Connie for the idea to use the word ‘schmuck,’ ehehehe…

Chapter 8, Tom

As soon as she stood up, I knew I’d behaved like a schmuck. I wanted to say something, anything, to stop her from leaving, but I was frozen. I watched in horror as she threw money down on the table and walked across the room, and I was seemingly powerless to do anything about it. As the door closed behind her, I finally recovered myself. It took a few minutes to settle our bill, and by the time I got outside, there was no sign of her. She was on foot though, so surely she couldn’t have gotten far! I looked up and down the street, and when I didn’t see her, I got in my car and slowly drove back and forth, searching for some sign of her. Nothing. After a few minutes, when I still couldn’t see her anywhere, I acknowledged to myself that somehow she had managed evade me. Devastated, I turned the car around and headed for home.

As I drove, I tortured myself with memories of the day.

What exactly had she done that was so bad?

All she’d done was to tell me that her roommate had a celebrity crush on a friend of mine, and that he, her roommate, would like to meet my friend. That’s all. And I had accused her of… I wasn’t even sure what I’d been accusing her of!

I remembered that one moment, before we had gotten to the car, when we’d stopped and she‘d looked up at me, and I had felt something… shift. I could tell by the slightly panicked look in her eyes that she’d felt it too. We had just agreed to be honest with each other. Well, I was going to be honest with myself right now: I had fucked up royally!

I was able to recall whole chunks of our conversation:

“I am so weary,” she’d said, sighing. “It was such a crazy day. I am an emotional wreck!”

“I suppose that’s mostly my fault?” I knew it was.

“Mostly,“ she’d admitted. “But really, it’s more a matter of how I’ve reacted and responded to you, rather than anything you yourself have done.” It had surprised me, and I wasn’t sure what she meant.

“And how is that?” I’d asked her. “How have you ‘reacted and responded’ to me, exactly?”

“Oh, come on, Tom, you know how I’ve reacted and responded, you arrogant arse!“ she’d said impatiently. “I…”

No, I really didn’t know, so I cut her off to say: “I don’t actually. I only know how I’ve reacted and responded to you. Loki may be able to read minds, but I cannot.”

When at last we’d been seated in the pub, then I’d finally been able to ask her about the thing that had bothered me the most that entire day:

“We’re past the point of pretense,” I’d said, “so I’m just going to say this. It’s been bothering me all day.”

“Please, what is it, Tom?” she’d asked me, so sincerely. “Tell me.“ I was afraid to ask her, but I had to know.

“You call me Tom,” I’d said, aware that I sounded like a whiny five year old, but somehow unable to stop myself.

And she’d shook her head. “You asked me to call you Tom.“

“You called me Tom from the beginning,“ I’d said. “You called Jay ‘Mr. Baruchel,’ and when he asked you why, you said it was because you were attracted to him. But, you never called me ‘Mr. Hiddleston.’ You’re attracted to Jay. But not to me.” Oh, jealousy, thy name is Tom!

She’d touched me then, her thumb caressing my mouth. It had made me unaccountably aroused, and I was glad for the cover of the table. I wanted to suck her thumb into my mouth, but somehow I was able to keep it together. And Bethany hadn’t been finished with her explanation.

“Yes, Tom, I am attracted to Jay. He’s sweet, and funny, and nice, and smart, and quite nice looking.”

Her words had wounded me! ”Then why come out with me, if you’re not attracted to me?” I’d asked her.

And then she’d said the words that had made my heart soar.

“Tom, just because I’m attracted to Jay, doesn’t mean I’m not attracted to you.”

I hadn’t dared to believe it.

“No, listen,” she’d said. “I’m going to try to explain this in a way that doesn’t make me sound like an obsessed fan girl.” That had made me smile. Bethany was one of my fan girls!

“This is why I don’t want to tell you!” she’d said, gesturing at me. “Your ego is already gigantic (it’s really not!), you don’t need me telling you how breathless you make me (!), how tied up in knots my stomach is, how, when I do your hair, it’s all I can do keep myself from playing in it, how hard it is to do your makeup because of how badly I want to pet your face, how I find the way you smell almost intoxicating. I call you Tom, because, in my mind, that’s who you are. Calling you ’Mr. Hiddleston’ wouldn’t do me any good, so why bother. Now you know. I shouldn’t have said all that.”

She was as attracted to me as he was to her! Inside, I was jumping up and down with excitement and delight. The thought of her stroking my hair and caressing my face, and me being able to do the same to her; well, of course my cock was reacting to all that. Good thing l was wearing loose sweatpants!

I’d known I needed to let her know I felt the same. I’d reached out a hand, cupped her face (oh, her skin was so soft!), and made her look at me. ”I won’t take advantage of what you’ve just told me,” I’d promised her. “And, you already know that I find you irresistible. I absolutely couldn’t keep myself from kissing you this morning.”

And so, some of the tension was dissipated, and we’d talked and ate companionably together. It was a wonderful first date! We’d talked of our families, and she’d shared her career plans (a five year contract with Disney! Maybe we’d get to work together again!), and then, when I was fishing to find out if she lived alone, if we could go to her place, or if I should take her to mine so that we could have some privacy, she’d mentioned her roommate. And I saw red, and it had all gone to hell.

Well, I’d arrived home, so I parked my car and went into my flat. The silence was deafening, and I couldn’t ever remember feeling quite so lonely. I could have been enjoying my evening with a beautiful girl who wanted me, and instead, I was home all alone. Again. I paced my small living room, made myself some tea, tried to watch telly, pretended to read a look. Nothing was working. I had to talk to Bethany. I had to throw myself on her mercy, and beg her forgiveness. But I didn’t know how, because I didn’t have her phone number, and I didn’t know where she lived.

But, I knew someone who did! Checking my watch, I saw that it wasn’t all that late, so, refusing to stop and consider the ethics of what I was about to do, I took out my phone and called Danny.

“Hey, Danny, Tom here,” I said, forcing my voice to sound upbeat. “Say, I wondered if I could get Bethany Murrow’s contact info?”

“Who’s that, Tom?” Danny asked. “Is that someone working on the film?”

“Yes, she’s Jay and my HMC tech,“ I told him. “Bethany Murrow. She’s left her cell phone in our trailer, and I know how much I hate to be without mine, so l brought it home with me, and I thought, if I knew where she lived, I could take it to her. I can’t even call her, because I have her phone!” and I let out a friendly little laugh.

“Sure, Tom, how thoughtful of you,” Danny said. “Give me a minute, I’ll look it up.”

I could hear him rustling papers and typing on his laptop, and then he came back on the line. “OK, what I’ve done was email you her employee registration page. Her address is on there. I probably shouldn’t have done that, so I’m trusting you, Tom, not to do anything nefarious with the information.” Danny chuckled a little.

“I promise you, Danny,” I said brightly, “I’ll use the information with only the best of intentions. Thank you so much. I’ll see you tomorrow on set.”

“Good night now, Tom,” Danny said.

“Yes, thanks again, Danny,” I said. “Goodnight.” That was almost too easy!

As soon as he hung up, I refreshed my email, and there it was, a new message from Danny. Opening it up, I found all the information I would need to find Bethany. I went ahead and put her phone number in my phone’s contact list, then printed off the email and went back out to my car.

As I drove to her flat, I went over and over in my head what I was going to say to her. I was going to make her listen. I was going to apologize, even grovel if I had to. It never even occurred to me that she might not be at home; I just knew she was, I could feel it. Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to a nice block of flats. Parking my car, I found the right door, and rang the bell. I could hear heavy footsteps, and then the door was flung open.

The man standing there was easily six feet six, and was probably close to being three hundred pounds of solid muscle. I was used to being the tall fellow in the room, but this guy made me feel like a dwarf. I squared my shoulders and scraped my top teeth over my bottom lip. Recognition lit the man’s eyes momentarily, before he forced his features into a stone mask. Yes, I felt intimidated!

“Can I help you with something?” the guy said, in a voice that sounded like it came from his toes!

“Uh, hello,” I said, somewhat timidly, I’m afraid. “Uh, you must be Lance.” Lance is gay, I reminded myself. I’d been expecting someone who looked… Well, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this!

“Yes, I’m Lance,” the big man said impatiently. “What do you want?”

“Um, well, well, um,” I stammered, absolutely tongue-tied. ”I was hoping I could maybe have a word with Bethany. Is she home?”

“I don’t know, let me check,” Lance said with an evil grin. “Hey, Bethany,“ he called over his shoulder. “There’s a guy here to see you… ?“ He looked at me enquiringly, making me say it, even though I know he damn well knew who I am.

“Tom,” I said, playing his game. ”Tom Hiddleston.”

“Yeah, I recognize you,” Lance said. I knew that; I told you! He called over his shoulder again. “Tom Hiddleston for you, Bethany.” Clearly, she had told him everything.

“How did he find out where we live?“ I heard her yell. “Never mind, I wouldn’t put anything past a cheeky bastard like him. Tell him to fuck off!” My heart sank.

“Sorry, Bethany’s not home,” Lance said, still grinning. And with that, he slammed the door in my face.


	9. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ehehehe… everybody is mad at Tom for being a jerk in chapter 8. I hope you find what Bethany and Jay cooked up between them satisfying…!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everybody, for reading! I love you! Enjoy!

Chapter 9, Bethany

Of course, I told Lance. Everything. He drove us home, listening to me sobbing, in between telling the tale of what a jerk is Mr. Tom Everyone-Has-An-Agenda Hiddleston. As if. I was so done with him! He wanted me, I was sure he still did, and he was jealous of Jay… Boy, was I gonna have fun with that! Evilly, subtly. I guess to be fair, I had better tell Jay what was going on, always keeping in mind that he and Tom seemed to be becoming friends, as well.

When we got to our flat, Lance got me all settled on the couch with lots of pillows, he made me tea, and put my favorite movie into the BluRay player: The Holiday, 2006, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winsett, Jude Law, and Jack Black. It’s funny, and sweet, and reminded me that tomorrow, Kate and Jennifer would be on set. Even though I wasn’t working directly with them, I would get to see them!

Lance and I were eating ice cream, and the movie was almost over, when the doorbell rang. “You just sit tight; I’ll get it,“ Lance said. He’s very sweet, and I’ve known him for forever. He’s my oldest brother’s best friend, and when Ezra moved to the States to be a rancher, Lance promised to look after me. And he has.

I could hear Lance talking to whoever was at door, but I couldn’t understand the words, until Lance yelled, “Hey, Bethany, there’s a guy here to see you… ?“ he paused, and again I heard the murmur of voices, and then, “Tom Hiddleston for you, Bethany.” Oh, he said that in a sneery voice!

And I was incensed! “How did he find out where we live?“ I yelled. Dammit, now the man was stalking me? “Never mind, I wouldn’t put anything past a cheeky bastard like him. Tell him to fuck off!”

More murmured voices, and then the door slammed. Lance came back in dusting off his hands. “That felt good!” he said, with a nasty chuckle. “You should have seen his face!”

“Thanks, Lance!” l said, leaning over to kiss his cheek as he sat back down beside me. I had paused the movie, so now I restarted it, and Lance and I both cried at the end, like we always do!

When it was over, Lance turned to me and said, “Feel like another?”

It was still early, and I was too angry for bed, so I said, ”Sure, why not? Your pick this time!”

“Yay,” Lance said, getting up and putting in another movie. “My favorite this time!” he said. Ah, that would be While You Were Sleeping. Oh, Bill Pullman, sigh. Tom? Tom who?

Peter had just had his accident when my phone buzzed. I glanced at it; it was a text message from a number I didn’t recognize.

[Hello, Bethany. Are you OK?] Hmmm. Not really; why do you want to know?

[Who is this please?] I sent back.

[Bethany, it’s me, Tom.] Oh, hell no!

[I’m not talking to you.] Honestly, who did he think he was? Oh yeah, I know! Tom Fucking Hiddleston!

[I just want to apologize. Please, Bethany.] Oh, apologize. Nope. Wasn’t gonna accept it, I was still too sore.

[Fuck you, Tom!] I sent back, and then I turned off my phone. Obviously, I was going to have to deal with him on some level tomorrow, but I would worry about that in the morning.

The next day, I got up a little early, not only because I had to take the metro, but also because I really kinda wanted to beat Tom there. I’m not sure why, but it seemed like a good idea. The ride in was uneventful, and I made my way past security and to our small trailer. I was the first one there, so I busied myself setting out the makeup and hair products l would need, as well as checking on today’s costumes. Having established the makeup and hair products for both men the day before, it didn’t take me long til I was ready, and I sat in the swivel chair with a book and waited for my actors.

Jay was first today, and as he came in the trailer and gave me a grin, l was swept by a wave of affection for him, in a warm, friendly way. “Hey Mr. Bar-uh, Jay!” I said, getting up out of the chair.

“Good morning, Bethany,” he greeted me, coming over to me and giving me a little hug.

“Ah, thanks, I needed that,” l told him, standing up and hugging him back.

Smirking, he asked, “How was your date with Tom?”

Scowling, l said, “Short. The man’s a fucking psycho!”

Jay raised his brows and looked at me questioningly. “What the hell happened?” he asked. “You guys were really into each other. I could tell, and I’m never wrong!”

“No, you’re not wrong,” I confessed. “But Tom’s just got… issues. I dunno. Maybe he’s been burned in the past. But he’s too messed up for me to deal with. He was so incredibly rude and hurtful!”

“Gosh, I’m really sorry about that,” Jay said sympathetically. ”Well, if l can help in any way, let me know.”

“There is one thing,” l said. Was I really going to go there? I look a deep breath. Yes, I was! “Um, I don’t want Tom to think I’m pining over him. Is it OK if I, you know, pay some attention to you?”

A slow, slightly evil smile spread across Jay’s face. “You want to flirt with me to make him jealous,“ he said. “Why the hell not?”

“Um, not exactly to make him jealous,“ I said tentatively. “That would imply that I still want him, and I don’t! No, I just want him to, hmm, see what he’s missing out on, I guess.”

“You’re devious. I love it,” Jay said, chuckling a little. ”Flirt away, Bethany, darlin’!”

He hugged me again, and right then, guess who came in? Yup. Tom came in, and when we saw him, we hugged tighter, and when he saw us, he looked like he’d been punched in the stomach. Good, served the bastard right!

Obviously, he’d been for a run, because he was breathing heavy, and he was a hot, sweaty, mess. A fuck-me-you’re-sexy-as-sin hot, sweaty mess, in black sweat pants and hoodie over a white vee-necked tee shirt. “Bethany, Jay,” he said, not meeting our eyes. “Is it OK if I get in the shower? I’ve just come from a run.”

“Sure, go for it,” Jay said, smiling at him. “Bethany can get started on me.” He sat in the chair, and I began working on him as Tom shut himself into the bathroom. As soon as the shower started going, Jay met my eyes in the mirror. “How much fun do you want to have with him?“ he asked me in a low voice, his eyes twinkling.

I bit my lip. I didn’t want to be cruel, did I? Thinking back to the headache I had from crying last night, maybe I did! “I think maybe I’d like to have a lot of fun with him,“ I said quietly.

And then Jay got serious. “Bethany, you maybe don’t want to hear this, but I’m gonna say it anyway, and you’re gonna listen. Tom, he really digs you, you know? I don’t know what happened between you two, but I do know that people say things they don’t mean. They get tired, or stressed, and then things come out that don’t make any sense. And sometimes, you have to forgive that, because we’re all only human, and doing the best we can.“ He stopped and ran his hand over his face. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, you and Tom, you have a possibility of having a beautiful thing here, and people deserve second chances, you know?”

I thought about what he‘d said for a few minutes. He was right; the pull between Tom and I was really strong. And he did take the time to find me, and he’d tried to apologize. I looked at Jay is the mirror and let myself grin. “OK, you’re right. But I want to have some fun with him before I allow him to apologize to me!”

Jay smirked. “Just follow my lead and leave it to me,” he said. “This is gonna be good. And, to make this work, you’ll need to remember to call me Jay.”

“Yes, alright,” I whispered, wondering just what he had planned.

I was just about finished with Jay’s makeup, when Tom came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. I swear, that man is the biggest exhibitionist! Of course, I felt it instantly, arousal causing my knickers to get damp, dammit! I pretended indifference, but it was fucking hard.

Tom glanced at me, probably to see my reaction, but I was able to pull off stone face. “I left my clothes out here,” he said quietly, then picked them up and went back into the bathroom. I went over to the rack and pulled Jay’s costume, handing it to him.

Jay took it from me, and gave me a look. “When he comes out, I’m going to kiss you before I go to change,“ he whispered, “so be ready for it.”

I couldn’t help chuckling. A few minutes later, the door opened and Tom came out. Jay put his hand under my chin, tipped my head back, and brought his lips to mine.

Now, let me tell you, Tom is a really good kisser. Really, really good. But Jay’s lips were made for kissing! Soft, plump, and moist, he kissed me with a slightly open mouth, but no tongue. I couldn’t help letting out a soft moan, and I heard Tom suck in a breath.

Jay pulled away, dropping another kiss on top of my head, and said, “I’ll go change then.”

“OK,“ I said, and I realized I sounded dazed.

Tom stomped over and practically threw himself in the chair. ”If you’re quite done, I’m ready for my makeup now,“ he said coldly.

I snapped out of it, and walked over to the chair. ”Of course, sir,” I said quietly, and got to work.

I was most of the way done with Tom when Jay came out of the bathroom. His costume for today was a suit and tie with a white dress shirt. He wore the tie loose, and for once, he had on dress shoes. “I hate these things,” he said, kicking his feet a little.

“Well, you look nice,” I said, leaving Tom to go over and straighten Jay’s tie. “Sit on the couch. Let me finish Tom’s make up, and then I’ll do your hair while Tom is changing.”

“OK, darlin’,” Jay said, giving me another gentle kiss before sitting down.

Tom was scowling at us in the mirror, and I took my thumb and ran it over the furrow between his brows. “Stop it, Tom,” I chided him. ”You’ll crease your make up.”

When he was done, I got his costume and sent him to the bathroom to change, then did Jay’s hair. Tom came out, in another perfect suit and tie, gorgeous dress shoes, white dress shirt. OMG, so fucking handsome! Even though I was angry with him, I was having the same feelings as yesterday. Doing his makeup made me want to pet his face; doing his hair made me want to bury my fingers in it. Damn. Jay was right. Tom and I would be incandescent together. I wondered how long I could stay mad at him before I gave in to the overwhelming attraction I felt towards him.

When they were both ready, l sent them on ahead while I packed up my gear, just like the day before. And actually, the whole day went quite bit like yesterday. Jay and Tom really seemed to have developed a rapport, Tom was even smiling at him, and I heard his laughter ringing out as well. Now, I will say that Tom’s laugh is one of the happiest sounds I know.

Whenever the director called cut, Jay would come to me first, just like yesterday, except that today, he always greeted me with a kiss, and then kissed me again before walking away from me. I hid a grin when I saw just how agitated this was making Tom. In spite of him getting along with Jay, Tom did not like Jay kissing me. When it was his turn, he’d stalk over to me and allow me to work on him in silence, his face a frozen mask. He was a consummate actor when the camera was rolling, but as soon as there was a break, it was obvious that he was not a happy man today. I spent about ten seconds feeling guilty about it.

Watching the girls was wonderful! They are both so beautiful, and I enjoyed watching Clarice working with them as well. Clarice is a couple of years older than me, and is obviously very skilled, and I picked up some tips simply by observing her. One thing that surprised me about her was the way she kept watching Jay. It was said around the industry that she hated men, and it was canon that she refused to work with them, and everyone always assumed that she was a lesbian. But I tell you, the way she looked Tom up and down when she first saw him, made me doubt that, as she was quite frankly ogling the man. But even that paled in comparison to the way she looked at Jay! Like a thirsty man in the desert might eye a class of water, and I wondered for a moment if they might know each other. If the game that Jay and I were playing for Tom’s benefit were for real, I maybe would have gone over and socked her! As it was, I got to thinking that once Jay and I were done messing with Tom’s head, maybe Jay and Clarice…? Who knew?

Anyway, by the end of the day, I was thoroughly weary, and I made plans with myself for a hot bubble bath and pizza delivery. Jay and Tom came to fetch me, Tom hoisting my bag up into his shoulder like yesterday, and I walked between the two of them back to our trailer.

“You go first, Jay,“ Tom said quietly, and, without a word, Jay got his clothes and went to shower. Tom shot me a look before going outside and pacing around the trailer. Jay finished up, and we made a show of saying goodbye. He hugged me and whispered in my ear, “You should take pity on him now. He’s had enough. I don’t know how much more he could stand, but I don’t think you should push it.”

I hugged him tightly, murmuring, “Thanks, Jay. Today was fun.” One last hug, and a sweet kiss, and Jay said, “Goodnight,” running his hand down my arm and squeezing my fingers, then he turned to go. “Goodnight, Tom,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”

I went back into the trailer and started putting my things away, when I was grabbed roughly from behind. Tom spun me around, looking down at me, his eyes glittering dangerously. He was gripping my shoulders, in a firm, but strangely gentle, grip.

“I don’t know how much of this you think I can take,” he said furiously, “but I’ve reached it.” He clenched his jaw, and gritted his teeth, his chest heaving. He thrust his jaw forward, and his lip curled for a moment, before he pressed his lips together in a firm line.

“I’m sorry for last night,” he bit out. “I truly am,” and even though he was angry, he sounded sincere, and I believed him. “But I am not sorry in the least for this,” he said, and he mashed his open mouth down on mine.


	10. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! I don’t think this chapter is very good… sorry about that… I feel bad for Tom, he was really having issues today. Anyway, I hope you still manage to get some enjoyment out of it. Next chapter should be better! So, I hope you sort of enjoy this lousy chapter…
> 
> Update: That was what I originally thought. Actually, it's a fine chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 10, Tom

After Bethany refused to see me, there didn’t seem to be much else that I could do. I went home. But I was just going through the motions again, rattling around in my flat, wondering how to get through to her. She wouldn’t listen, but I was aching to apologize. I could tell from the sound of her voice that she’d been crying. I caused that. I did. What kind of a man was I?

Suddenly, it dawned on me that I had her phone number. Even if she wouldn’t listen to me, I could send her a text message, and then she’d probably read it, and at least know how sorry I was.

[Hello, Bethany. Are you OK?] I sent. I felt awful for making her cry.

[Who is this please?] she sent back.

[Bethany, it’s me, Tom.]

[I’m not talking to you.] Oh, Bethany, please hear me out…

[I just want to apologize. Please, Bethany.] There, now at least she’d know.

[Fuck you, Tom!] With that reaction, I knew it wouldn’t do any good to send her more texts, but at least I knew that she had gotten that last one. I went to bed.

And tossed and turned. By the time I finally got to sleep, it was almost time to wake up. As a result, I overslept and was late, making me late for my run, but l knew l would need it. I did a quick circuit around my neighborhood, and then went straight to the set. I figured I could shower once I got there. And I was the last one in; when l got to the trailer, I found Jay and Bethany both there ahead of me.

They were in each other’s arms, and when they saw me their embrace seemed to get even more intimate. My heart sank; I couldn’t think of much that would hurt me more. Bethany had moved on, and Jay was going to have his movie-time fling after all. I blinked tears, and hoped they wouldn’t notice.

“Bethany, Jay,” I said. The sight of them together was too painful to look at, so l looked everywhere but at them. “Is it OK if I get in the shower?“ I asked, when I could get the words out. ”I’ve just come from a run.”

“Sure, go for it,” Jay said, smirking at me, the bloody bastard. “Bethany can get started on me.” He sat in the chair, and I went into the bathroom.

As soon as I got out of the shower, l realized that I’d left the bag with my clothes in it out in the main room. I am quite comfortable in my own skin, and nudity is no big deal to me, but I am aware that it makes other people uncomfortable; given Bethany’s reaction yesterday, she was going to think I’d done this on purpose, but l really hadn’t.

Sure enough, she didn’t show much, but I could still tell that my state of near-nakedness had affected her. She wasn’t as indifferent to me as she pretended! 

“I left my clothes out here,” I told them, and I picked them up and went back into the bathroom. It didn’t take me long to dress, and I came back out just in time to see Jay put his hand under Bethany’s chin, tip her head back, and kiss her. It must have been quite a kiss, because Bethany let out a moan. The sight and sound incensed me, and I suddenly felt like a vice was around my ribcage. I couldn’t breathe, and as I stood there trying to regain control, Jay pulled away, dropping another kiss on top of her head, and said, “I’ll go change then.”

“OK,“ she said, sounding dazed.

Once I could move, l went and practically collapsed into the swivel chair, I’m not sure I would have been capable of standing a moment longer. ”If you’re quite done, I’m ready for my makeup now,“ I managed to get out.

Bethany recovered from her kiss and came over to work on me. ”Of course, sir,” she said, mocking me.

As she applied my makeup, l couldn’t help thinking about what she’d said at dinner, about wanting to caress my face. I wondered if she still felt that way. I would have given much if it could be true. But she was almost done with me when Jay came out of the bathroom. His costume for today was a suit and tie with a white dress shirt. He wore the tie loose, and for once, he had on dress shoes. I never thought I’d ever see him in anything but sneakers. The man has absolutely no appreciation whatsoever for fine footwear! 

“I hate these things,” he said, kicking his feet a little.

“Well, you look nice,” Bethany said, going over to straighten his tie. “Sit on the couch. Let me finish Tom’s make up, and then I’ll do your hair while Tom is changing.”

“OK, darlin’,” Jay said, kissing her again — again! — before sitting down.

I know I was frowning, and Bethany took her thumb and ran it over the furrow between my brows. “Stop it, Tom,” she said. ”You’ll crease your make up.”

When I was done, she got my costume and I went into the bathroom to change: another one of my bespoke suits and a tie, dress shoes, white dress shirt. Kind of a standard outfit for me, and I felt quite comfortable.

When we were both ready, Bethany sent us on ahead while she packed up her gear. Once I was alone with Jay, I expected it to be awkward, but I was surprised at how comfortable I felt with him.

I wanted to clear the air right away, so as we walked to the set, I said, “Obviously, Bethany told you about last night.”

“She said you’d had a disagreement,” he said simply. “I’m sorry about that, and I hope there won’t be any hard feelings. Are you still into her?”

“I am still attracted to her, yes,” I said biting my lip. “But she won’t talk to me, and that’s that.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you don’t mind me,“ he said, smirking. “I figure, you had your chance, you know? She’s not mad at me, and I think it’s partly rebound, but I do know she’s attracted to me, so I thought, why not?”

“Why not indeed,” I said. “I’d say I wish you luck, but I don’t,“ I said, sounding bitter, I’m sure.

“Fair enough,“ he said, chuckling. He stopped, and after a few steps, I did, too, backtracking so that we were even again. “Look, Tom,” he said, looking at me sincerely. “I really like you, and I think we could be pretty good friends. I hope this thing with Bethany won’t prevent that from happening.”

I could help smiling at him. “You know what, Jay?“ I said. “In spite of everything, I like you, too. Even though I’m not sure I want to.” Both of us were laughing now. I just couldn’t help but like the man!

While filming, we followed the same routine we had established yesterday: whenever the director called cut, Jay would go first, except that today, he was all over Bethany, kissing her at every single cut. It was killing me! In spite of getting along with him, I just couldn’t stand it! When it was my turn, I’d go over to over to her and allow her to work on me, but l was absolutely tongue-tied. I couldn’t think of a single intelligent thing to say. In truth, I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I’d be begging her to tell Jay where to stick it, begging her to give me another chance. I knew it looked like I was having a major tantrum, just as if I were a five year old, but that’s not how it felt, and I seemed powerless to do anything about it.

Kate and Jennifer were filming today, and that actually helped diffuse the situation. They are both quite beautiful, and very talented, and it was a joy working with them. And another thing that I noticed, that I found quite curious, was the way their HMC tech kept watching Jay. She appeared to know him, and seemed quite put out at the attention he was paying to Bethany. May she was Jay’s ex, or something, I thought. But, it was quite noticeable.

When Jay and I had a break, but it wasn’t a cut, I asked him about it. “Do you know her?” I said, not exactly pointing, but letting him know who I meant.

“Who, Clarice? Yeah, I know her,” he said, almost too casually.

“So, what’s up with her? Have you noticed the way she looks at you? Because, I can tell you, Bethany has.” I was almost positive he had history with Clarice, and I felt an evil glee that it might get him into trouble with Bethany. I liked the man, but he had the girl that I wanted, and that really wasn’t working for me.

By the end of the day, I was more than ready to be finished. Watching Jay and Bethany together was slowly killing me. I knew it was all my own fault, but that didn’t help with the pain. I had to be on set the next day, or I probably would have gone out and got blind, staggering plastered. As it was, I must have been letting it show, because Jay reached out and put his hand on my arm and asked, “Are you all right, Tom?”

The look I gave him was raw, because he answered his own question: “No, l can see that you aren’t.”

Danny had just called the wrap for the day, and Jay and l were getting ready to walk over and pick up Bethany. I could see her where she was a ways away from us, packing up her gear, and I‘m sure I was giving her a longing look, because now Jay asked, “You still really want her, don’t you?”

“Does it show?“ l asked bleakly.

“Pretty much,” Jay said. ”Walk slowly. Tom, I’m going to tell you something. Bethany and I…”

“You think I don’t know?” l asked him in disbelief. “You’ve been rubbing my face in it all day!”

“It’s actually not what it looks like,” he said. ”Tom, and I’m going to tell you something and I ask that you try not to get mad.”

We were walking very slowly, and I could see he was anxious to tell me whatever it was. “OK, “I said.

“Bethany didn’t want you to think she was heartbroken over you,” he said. “She wanted you to think she’d moved on.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that none of this, this hugging, the kissing — that it’s not real?” I didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry. 

“I’m sorry, Tom,” Jay said, sounding almost embarrassed. “Want to know something that absolutely no one else here knows?”

I was speechless; l couldn’t force anything out.

“I ‘m gonna tell you anyway. Clarice, the girls’ HMC tech, is my girlfriend. We’ve been together for about a year. She knew I was only helping Bethany, but she still didn’t like it. And that’s why she was looking at me like that.”

“So, let me get this straight,” I said. ”You and Clarice are together. You and Bethany are not together.”

“Yes,“ Jay admitted. “As a matter of fact, Bethany is still into you. I told her that people say things they don’t mean, that they make mistakes, and that they deserve a second chance.”

At this point, we had almost reached Bethany, in spite of the slow pace we were setting. “Let me go first when we get to the trailer,” Jay said finally. “I’ll clear out, and then you and Bethany will have some time on neutral ground to try to repair what is wrong between you.”

“You’re actually a very wise man,” I told him. “OK. Thank you for telling me all this.”

“Just don’t hurt her anymore, OK?” He asked. 

And we had reached Bethany, so I hoisted her bag up onto my shoulder like yesterday, and she walked between the two of us back to our trailer.

“You go first, Jay,“ I said to him, and, without a word, Jay got his clothes and went to shower. I didn’t trust myself to be in the trailer with Bethany at this point, not when I knew Jay could come out of the bathroom at any minute, so I went outside and paced around the trailer.

When Jay finished up, he hugged and hissed Bethany, and even though I now knew it was all an act for my benefit, it still had me absolutely raw. He hugged her one last time. And I could see him whispering in her ear.

Bethany hugged him tightly, murmuring, “Thanks, Jay. Today was fun.” One last hug, and a sweet kiss, and Jay said, “Goodnight.”

Bethany didn’t see him wink at me as he walked out the door. “Goodnight, Tom,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”

Bethany had gone back into the trailer and had started putting her things away, when I snapped. I saw red, and I went up behind her, spinning her around and holding her by the shoulders, I looked down at her. She looked up at me, breathless, and I felt a stab of instant arousal at the longing look on her face.

“I don’t know how much of this you think I can take,” I said angrily, “but I’ve reached it.” I know my jaw clenched, and I gritted my teeth.

“I’m sorry for last night,” I bit out. “I truly am,” and I think she actually believed me. “But I am not sorry in the least for this,” I said, and I kissed her, hard.


	11. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey! The smut chapter! Question: should I tell it from Tom’s POV next chapter? Or move on with the story? Two smut chapters in a row? The same scene, but probably subtle differences… Probably gonna do that since that’s kinda been the way this story has worked so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everybody! I love you all!

Chapter 11, Bethany

The instant his mouth touched mine, I was lost. I felt a gush of moisture between my thighs and I let out a whimper. He kept his hands on my shoulders, until he realized that I wasn’t going to try to get away; in fact the opposite was true. I couldn’t get close enough to him. I grabbed his hair in both hands and tried to pull him closer, straining against him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly, and I sighed in relief. This was where I belonged. I gave in and did all the things I’d been fantasizing about: I stroked his hair and caressed his face. His hair was stiff with product; I didn’t care. He still had on his makeup; I didn’t care. I just needed to be with him.

His kiss was hard and intense. He plundered my mouth with his tongue, and I welcomed it eagerly, sucking on it gently before meeting it with mine. His lips left mine to suck and lick at my neck and the sensitive skin behind my ear, and l felt my stomach drop. “Oh, god, yes,” l whispered, and Tom gave a primal moan. His hands were everywhere, kneading my breasts through my shirt, dropping down to squeeze my arse and pull me tighter against him. When he released me, l whined in protest, until I realized that he was moving his hands to the opening of my jeans, undoing the button and zipper and shoving them down my legs. I kicked off my Vans and not so gracefully got my jeans off by stepping on them.

Wanting to reciprocate, I brought my hands around to Tom’s belt, but he stopped me, pulling back to look at me, his eyes dark with want. “No,” he said. “I’m too far gone. I have to make some kind of an effort to last for you. If you touch me, I’ll come in my pants like a teen-ager.”

I could feel his erection straining against me through his trousers, and I wanted to touch him so bad. But I needed him, and I knew that what he was saying was true. He backed away from me now, hands on his belt. “Do you want this, Bethany?” he asked me, his voice breathless, as if he’d been running. “Do you want me?”

“Oh, dear god, yes,“ I moaned. “Please…”

He gave me a little smile of satisfaction; it was almost feral. “You’ve tortured me all day,” he said. “It’s going to be hard and it’s going to be fast. I’ll try to last as long as I can for you, but it’s not going to be much.”

I clutched the lapels of his jacket, rubbing myself against him. “I’ve tortured myself,” I gasped. ”I want it hard and fast. I want it wild. I need you to fuck me, Tom. Now!”

He shrugged out of his jacket, took off his tie, and then his shoes. I, being much more casually dressed, quickly disposed of my tee shirt, bra, and knickers. I stood naked before him, and he groaned, grabbing me and burying his face between my breasts, one hand dropping down to explore my damp folds.

“Oh, you’re so wet,“ he said. He inserted two fingers inside, stroking me gently, then pulled out and teased my clit, and I bucked against his hand.

I thought my legs might give way, and I started backing towards the couch, pulling Tom with me, until I could collapse on it. “Hurry, Tom,” l said on a sigh.

He unbuckled his belt and undid his zipper, bending to take off his socks, then removing his trousers. His hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, until finally, he muttered, “Oh fuck it,” and simply ripped it open impatiently, sending buttons flying.

He stood before me in only boxer briefs, and I could see that what everyone speculates about is true: the man is extraordinarily gifted, and it made me feel strangely greedy.

“Last chance to back out, Bethany,” he said, and I could tell he was holding his breath.

“Tom, shut up and fuck me,“ I whined spreading my legs and opening my arms.

With an incoherent cry, he shoved his underwear off, fell into my arms, and immediately plunged into me. It was everything he’d said it would be. He was already out of control, thrusting into me with abandon, not much in the way of rhythm, grunting in time with his thrusts. I slipped my hand between us and found my clit, rubbing frantically to try to keep pace with him.

I fought to keep my eyes open; he was beautiful and I wanted to watch him as he came, and to give him the privilege of watching me. He was panting and gasping, and I knew he was close, so I worked my clit faster. He gritted his teeth, a panicked look on his face. “Bethany,” he gasped, “I want to be a gentleman…, but… ah…, Bethany!”

I felt the first spasm of my orgasm grab me, and then my walls were convulsing around him, squeezing his cock, and the next instant, a look of relief entered his eyes. “Thank you,” he said on a sigh, and with one last thrust, he emptied himself inside me.

He relaxed against me and I clutched at him, running my hands over the smooth skin of his back and shoulders. He started shaking, and it took me a moment to realize that he was laughing!

“What’s so funny?” I asked indignantly.

He raised his head, looking down at me, and his wide grin brought joy to my heart, even if he was laughing at me. I must have said something to that effect out loud, because his expression changed to a gentle smile, and he lifted a hand and brushed my hair out of my face.

“It’s just that you have my makeup all over you, love,” he said softly. ”You’re much paler than I. It shows quite a lot… “

I looked down at myself, chuckling when I saw what he was talking about. I was all streaked everywhere. “You still have product in your, hair, too,” I said. “How about we take a shower?”

“I like the way you think,” he said. “Then, will you come home with me?“ He looked at me with those puppy eyes he’s famous for. ”Please?”

My heart melted. How could I refuse him anything? “OK,” I said dazedly.

Tom got up and took my hand, pulling me into a hug. We stood there holding each other for a minute, and I could feel that Tom’s cock was already starting to get hard again. I reached between us to take him in my hand, stroking softly. “Already, Mr. Hiddleston?” l asked, arching a brow.

“Hey, it’s been a long day,” he said defensively. ”That first time was just to relieve the pressure! I intend to make love to you all night!”

I rose on tiptoes so that I could kiss him. “We should probably get some sleep,” l murmured against his lips. “We have to be on set again tomorrow.”

He chuckled softly, and nibbled on my neck, “I suppose you have a point," he murmured. “Damn, I wanted to fuck you in the shower, but I’m not sure l can wait.”

He was practically fucking my hand, and I tightened my grip and stroked him a little faster, before letting go, backing away, and heading for the bathroom, looking back at him over my shoulder. “Coming?” l asked.

“I hope so, in a little while,” he said facetiously, following me.

I started the shower and got in, and he joined me. "Let me wash you,” I said, and guided him under the spray. I started with his hair, squeezing shampoo into my palm and rubbing it all through his curly hair. It was lighter at the roots, and although I’d seen old still photos of him as a blond, I had never seen him, (in film, since this was my first time meeting him in real life, of course), with his natural hair. As I washed the product out, I indulged myself, playing in his wonderful, thick locks.

"Will you ever let your hair alone?” l asked him wistfully. “I dream of seeing you as a blond.”

“You like Golden Retrievers, do you?” he asked wryly.

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Actually, you look more like a labradoodle in the photos I’ve seen.”

“Oh, thanks for that!” he said, exasperated.

I finished with his hair, and taking a pouf and some shower gel, I washed his skin: shoulders, back, chest, and belly. I turned him and washed his bum, squeezing his cheeks gently, because I just couldn‘t resist! I dropped to my knees and washed his calves, and he braced himself against my shoulders so that he could lift his feet for me, and I washed between his toes, and then up his calves to his thighs.

I rubbed shower gel between my palms, then washed his groin, reaching between his legs to clean between his buns. Gently I cleansed his sac I then I took his already stiff cock and washed it, stroking slowly. I gestured for him to turn into the spray, and when he was rinsed, I leaned forward and took just the head in my mouth. He groaned and tangled his fingers in my hair, as I began to suck him slowly, taking as much of him as I could, and stroking my fist over the rest in rhythm with my mouth. He let me continue for just a short while, actually fucking my mouth for two or three strokes, before pulling out and lifting me to my feet.

“I think that’s the most sensual thing anyone has ever done for me," he said softly. “I want to return the favor.”

I stood still as he washed my hair, and he was right — it felt so sensuous, so luxurious, and I felt pampered and lo… No! It’s too soon, and l am not going to use the L word about him yet! Even though there is a place deep inside me that is screaming it. I’m ignoring you! I told it!

Tom continued to bathe me, kneading my breasts gently, brushing his hands over my back and belly, kneeling, like I did, to wash my feet and lower legs. I couldn’t help looking down at top of his head, running my fingers through his wet hair, and saying, "Loki is kneeling for me!”

He looked up at me with a grin, before he got serious. “I think I’ll always kneel for you, from now on,” he said quietly. Uh-oh. That place within me was screaming again.

He rested his face against my stomach, and I closed my eyes, but they flew open when I felt his tongue dipping into my folds. Gently he encouraged me to spread my legs, stroking my inner thighs with his fingertips, and I rested my head back against the shower wall as he explored me, licking and sucking. I gasped as he fucked me with his tongue, then he licked up my slit til he got to my clit, and when he inserted two fingers and found my g-spot, I clutched at his hair.

“Tom… I’m so close… Please don’t stop…” l felt him chuckling against me, and when he sucked gently at my clit, I came again, hard. He continued stroking me, prolonging my pleasure, then, he rose to his feet and entered me smoothly. It was so graceful, all his movements are elegant, even as he was fucking me against the shower wall. His pace was much more languid this time, as he thrust within me, bending his head to suck on my nipples. Gradually, his thrusts grew more rapid, and I felt myself spiraling towards another climax.

“You feel so fucking good,” he said, between thrusts. "Fuck, Bethy, I’m gonna cum…”

He reached between us and found my clit, rubbing in small circles. “Come on, Bethy, l can feel that you’re close. Come for me, love. I can’t last much longer.”

He had slowed, and I could see the concentration on his face. “What a gentleman,” I murmured. “Oh, Tom," and I came. The instant he felt my first spasm he let out a groan and filled me with his seed.

We held each other as we wound down, the water was cold, and we rinsed quickly, occasional stopping to cuddle and kiss. I had wanted it for so long, that I couldn’t stop touching him. And he smoothed my hair back, smiling at me. “Being with you is everything I imagined it would be,” he said gently. "Come stay with me tonight? Please?”

“Yes, OK, Tom,” I said. I’d already agreed. I guess after all we’d been through, it wasn’t that surprisingly that he was a little insecure. We dressed, and I dug out my cell phone. “Gotta call Lance, tell him I won’t be home tonight,” l said.

“You know,” said Tom, looking at me funny. “I, um, I think Luke would like Lance,” he said, kinda sheepishly. “Maybe we could, you know, double date or something.”

I couldn’t help it; I burst out laughing. “I’d love to see that,” I said with a grin. “I can ask Lance.”

“I’m going to call Luke tomorrow,” Tom said, smirking. “You and I, we’re off on Saturday. Let’s all go out to dinner.”

“I love it!” I said. “It’s a date.”

Tom’s face got serious. “I Iove _you_ ,” he said.


	12. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ehehehe… by popular demand! Thanks, everyone, for wanting Tom’s POV. I hope it satisfies! Thanks so much for reading; I love you all!

Chapter 12, Tom

Finally. This kiss was everything I needed it to be after the day of torment those two had put me through. I would never force a woman, but I wanted Bethany to feel my need, so I held her firmly by the shoulders. I was surprised, but elated, when she let out a whimper, and grabbing my hair in both of her hands, she pulled me even closer, straining against me. I let go of her shoulders and wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly, and she sighed. I was drunk with the sensation when she did all the things she had told me she wanted to do, stroking my hair and caressing my face, and I knew that she still wanted me as much as I wanted her. She rubbed herself against me, and my cock reacted, stiffening rapidly.

My kiss was hard and intense. I explored her mouth with my tongue, and she responded by sucking on it gently before meeting it with hers. I ran my mouth over her face to her neck, nibbling, licking, and sucking, then nuzzling behind her ear.

“Oh, god, yes,” she whispered, and I couldn’t keep from moaning.

I stroked her gently, so desperate to finally touch her, kneading her breasts over her clothes, squeezing her arse and pulling her tighter against my erection. When I finally was able to bring myself to let her go, she rewarded me by whining in protest, but when she realized it was only so I could undo the button and zipper of her jeans, and help her out of them, she kicked off her shoes as well.

My heart sped up when I felt her hands at my belt, but I had to stop her, and I looked down at her and told her the truth, “No, I’m too far gone. I have to make some kind of an effort to last for you. If you touch me, I’ll come in my pants like a teen-ager.”

My erection was straining against her, and her arousal was clear on her face. She was so beautiful, and I thought she wanted me, but I had to make sure. I forced myself to back away from her. “Do you want this, Bethany?” I asked her, almost breathless with need. “Do you want me?”

“Oh, dear god, yes,“ she moaned. “Please…”

Thank god, it was what I wanted to hear, what I needed to hear, and I gave her one of my wicked grins. “You’ve tortured me all day,” I told her. “It’s going to be hard and it’s going to be fast. I’ll try to last as long as I can for you, but it’s not going to be much.”

She grabbed at my clothes, rubbing herself against me, and I swear, I got even harder when she said, “I’ve tortured myself. I want it hard and fast. I want it wild. I need you to fuck me, Tom. Now!”

I couldn’t get my clothing off fast enough. Fucking suit! I shrugged out of my jacket, took off my tie, and then my shoes. At the same time, Bethany was frantically taking off her tee shirt, bra, and knickers. She was soon naked, and I groaned, grabbing her and burying my face against her chest, and reaching down to her sex, I found her dripping for me.

“Oh, you’re so wet,“ I gasped. I inserted two fingers inside, stroking her gently, then I pulled out to tease her clit a bit, and she bucked against my hand.

I seriously felt like I might come before I even got a chance to fuck her, I was so turned on. She started backing towards the couch, pulling me with her, til she fell on it, looking up at me. “Hurry, Tom,” she said, sighing.

I really had to get my trousers off, because they were seriously so tight, it was painful. Bethany watched me as l unbuckled my belt and undid my zipper, bending to take off my socks, then removing my trousers. I tried to undo the buttons of my shirt, but I was so impatient, and overcome with need, that all I could do was fumble about, and finally, I just gave up. “Oh fuck it,” I said, and simply ripped it open, sending the buttons flying.

That left me standing in only my underwear, wanting her so much I thought my legs might buckle.

“Last chance to back out, Bethany,” I said, and I held my breath. I didn’t know what I’d do if she said she didn’t want me. My heart soared and my cock twitched when she said, “Tom, shut up and fuck me."

She held her arms out to me, and I moaned, shoved my underwear off, and almost collapsed on top of her, and immediately plunged into her. I felt guilty, but I’d warned her. I’d been pushed past my limit, already out of control, and I thrust into her with abandon, not much in the way of rhythm, grunting in time with my thrusts. I didn’t even have the ability to help her; she slipped her own hand between us and found her clit, rubbing herself frantically. Somewhere in my brain I was conscious of it, but I was entirely too gone to do anything about it.

I watched her; she was so beautiful in her passion. I think she could tell that I was close, as she worked her clit faster. I was panting and gasping, and I gritted my teeth, and I felt a little panicked as I managed to gasp out, “Bethany, I want to be a gentleman…, but… ah…, Bethany!”

I felt the first spasm of her orgasm grab at my cock inside her, and then her walls were convulsing around me, squeezing me, and I couldn’t hide the relief that l wasn’t going to be a bastard and leave her hanging. “Thank you,” I said, and with one last thrust, I emptied myself inside her.

Eventually, I relaxed against her and she held me, running her hands over my back and shoulders. It felt so wonderful, but as I slowly came back to myself, I noticed that she was now sporting streaks of my makeup everywhere! I hadn’t showered yet, and she looked a mess, and I’m sure I looked worse! It was the first time such a thing had ever happened, and it welled up in me until I couldn’t help laughing about it. 

“What’s so funny?” she asked, sounding put out.

I looked down at her, grinning, and then she melted my heart when she said, “Your smile brings joy to my heart, even if you are laughing at me.”

I stopped laughing, my heart in my eyes, and brushed her hair out of her face.

“It’s just that you have my makeup all over you, love,” I told her softly. "You’re much paler than I. It shows quite a lot…"

She looked down at herself, chuckling when she saw how streaked up she was. “You still have product in your, hair, too,” she said. “How about we take a shower?”

This woman! I was seriously in danger of losing my heart. It felt much more than merely physical at this point. Struggling to keep it light, sensing it was too soon for her, I said, “I like the way you think.” But I couldn’t help asking, trying not to whine, “Then, will you come home with me? Please?”

I was almost relived when she said, “OK."

I got up and pulled her to me. We stood there holding each other for a minute, and I was already starting to get hard again. She reached between us to take my cock into her hand, stroking me softly. “Already, Mr. Hiddleston?” she asked me cheekily.

“Hey, it’s been a long day,” I said, and I’m sure I sounded defensive. "That first time was just to relieve the pressure! I intend to make love to you all night!”

She had to go on tiptoes to kiss me, sounding entirely too sensible when she said. “We should probably get some sleep. We have to be on set again tomorrow,” murmuring the words against my month.

I chuckled softly, and nibbled on her neck, “I suppose you have a point," I admitted. “Damn, I wanted to fuck you in the shower, but I’m not sure l can wait.”

Because at this point, her hand on my cock felt so good, I was thrusting into it, and she tightened her grip and stroked me a little faster, before letting go, backing away, and heading for the bathroom, looking back at me over my shoulder. “Coming?” she asked me, the minx!

“I hope so, in a little while,” I said, just as facetiously, and went after her.

She started the shower and got in, and I joined her there. "Let me wash you,” she said, and guided me under the spray. She started with my hair, rubbing shampoo all through it, a wonderful, pampering feeling.

”Will you ever let your hair alone?” she asked me, almost wistfully. “I dream of seeing you as a blond.”

Really? I’ve never cared for it, and most of my fans seem to like the ginger look. “You like Golden Retrievers, do you?” I asked her wryly.

She had the audacity to giggle! “Actually, you look more like a labradoodle in the photos I’ve seen.”

“Oh, thanks for that!” I said, exasperated. Labradoodle? Did I even want to know?

She finished with my hair, and taking shower gel, she washed my body: my shoulders, back, chest, and belly. She turned me so that she could wash my backside, squeezing my bum gently, and then she dropped to her knees and washed my calves, and I braced myself against her shoulders so that she could wash my feet for me, between my toes, and then up my calves to my thighs. It was all so unbelievably erotic, and I forced myself to stay passive, when I really just wanted to grab her and fuck her into the wall.

She rubbed shower gel between her palms, then washed my intimate area, reaching between my legs to clean between my cheeks. She was oh-so-gentle when she cleansed my sac, and then finally, she took my straining, stiff cock and washed it, stroking slowly. She gestured for me to rinse, and then, she bent forward and took just the head into her mouth. I groaned and tangled my fingers in her hair, and she began to suck me slowly, driving me crazy, taking as much of me as she could, I’m sure, but I am, uh, “gifted”, shall we say, and she had to use her fist over the rest of me in rhythm with her mouth. I only let her do it for just a short while, and I couldn’t resist fucking her mouth for two or three strokes, before pulling out and lifting her to her feet.

“I think that’s the most sensual thing anyone has ever done for me," I told her softly, because it was. “I want to return the favor.”

She stood still as I washed her beautiful hair, and then, I continued to bathe her, kneading her luscious breasts gently, brushing my hands over her back and belly, kneeling, like she did, to wash her feet and lower legs. She ran her fingers through my hair, and said, "Loki is kneeling for me!”

So he was, I thought with a grin, but I realized, that if this was what she wanted, I would move heaven and Earth to give it to her. Whatever she wanted, whatever it took. “I think I’ll always kneel for you, from now on,” I told her.

I rested my face against her stomach a minute, before dipping my tongue into her folds. I nudged her legs apart, pressing my face to her mound, stroking her inner thighs with my fingertips, and I pleasured her, licking and sucking. I fucked her with my tongue, then licked up her slit to her clit, and when I inserted two fingers and found her g-spot she fisted my hair convulsively.

“Tom… I’m so close… Please don’t stop…” l chuckled against her, sucking gently at her clit, and she came again, hard. I continued to stroke her, prolonging her pleasure, then, I stood up and entered her smoothly. My pace was much more controlled this time, and I took the opportunity to savor her, sucking her nipples while continuing to slowly thrust inside her. Gradually, my thrusts grew more rapid as l got closer to another climax.

“You feel so fucking good,” I told her, between thrusts. "Fuck, Bethy, I’m gonna cum…”

I was determined to be a more complete and caring lover this time. I reached between us and found her clit, rubbing in small circles. “Come on, Bethy, l can feel that you’re close. Come for me, love. I can’t last much longer.”

I slowed, straining to wait until I had made her cum. “What a gentleman,” she murmured. “Oh, Tom," and I felt her start to convulse around my cock. The instant I felt it, I groaned and came, pumping her full.

We held each other as we wound down, but the water was cold by this time, and we rinsed quickly, but I couldn’t help cuddling and kissing her. I smoothed her hair back, smiling at her. “Being with you is everything I imagined it would be. Come stay with me tonight? Please?”

“Yes, OK, Tom,” she said. I’d already asked her, and she’d agreed, but it almost felt too good to be true. We dressed, and she got out her cell phone. “Gotta call Lance, tell him I won’t be home tonight,” she said.

Oh. Lance. Right. Her giant, fucking huge, I-hate-Tom-Hiddleston’s-guts scary gay roommate. “You know,” I said, feeling really sheepish, “I, um, I think Luke would like Lance. Maybe we could, you know, double date or something.”

I guess I can’t blame her for bursting out laughing at me. “I’d love to see that,” she said with a grin. “I can ask Lance.”

“I’m going to call Luke tomorrow,” I said firmly. “You and I, we’re off on Saturday. Let’s all go out to dinner.”

“I love it!” she said. “It’s a date.”

My therapist says I love easily, that my capacity for love is limitless, and that that I wear my heart on my sleeve. He’s probably right. I knew it was too soon, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“I love _you_ ,” I said.


	13. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom wears his heart on his sleeve...

Chapter 13, Bethany

Oh, he went there! That little place deep inside me that had been screaming the L word non-stop since Tom had first kissed me earlier was roaring in triumph. I debated with myself how to respond. I could just ignore it, but that seemed unkind. I could be serious about it, or try to make it into a joke. I decided to handle it the way the real Bethany Murrow would handle such a thing: in your face, up front, with no pretense.

“Oh, Tom,” I said, looking at him in exasperation. “It’s too soon for that. We’ve known each other for, what? Two days?”

Tom looked at me with those puppy eyes, then looked away. “I know,” he said sheepishly, ducking his head. “I tried not to say it. It just, escaped…”

I tried to process that, wanting to know his exact meaning. As he watched my thoughts flickering across my face, he quite accurately guessed what I wanted to ask.

“Yes, I mean it,” he said tenderly. “Yes, it’s true. Yes, I know you’re not ready. Yes, I’ll wait. No, I shouldn’t have said it. Yet. Yes, I’m sorry for that …”

“Oh, Tom, you adorable dork!” I said, throwing my arms around him and giving him a noisy kiss. “I’m going to tell you something, because I want to, l want you to know, and I think it will make you happy. But you have to promise not to take advantage of it.”

“What is it?” he asked curiously, running a hand through his hair.

I spoke quickly, before I could change my mind. “Tom, there’s a place deep inside me, here,” and I rubbed my hand over my chest, “that has been screaming at me, since you kissed me tonight. Screaming and screaming…”

“What’s it screaming about, Bethany?” he asked me quietly.

“It says that I love you, Tom,” I whispered. His face lit up, the way I knew it would, and I held my hand up, palm out towards him. “But,” I said firmly, “But, there is a bigger, stronger, more powerful place, in here,” and I gestured to my head, “that insists that I can’t possibly yet, and that I need to keep my eyes open and try to learn and feel what I can over the course of filming this project. It seems like a valid argument.”

“I can’t fault that, Bethany,” Tom said. “It seems reasonable and prudent. I am willing to see where this goes. On one condition. Well, on a couple of conditions.” He hugged me and placed a sweet kiss on my forehead. “One, I don’t have to hide how I feel from you. I’m allowed to tell you that I love you.”

“Um, OK, I guess,” I said, trying to not sound too skeptical. What’s the second condition?”

“No more hugging and kissing fucking Jay Baruchel!” He was trying to be funny, but I could see he meant it, too, and I realized how much our behavior that day had hurt him.

“God, I’m sorry about that, Tom,” I said, and I couldn’t resist petting his face. “I’m so, so sorry. Not only was it provocative, but it was highly unprofessional. The only thing that really saves it from being dismissal-worthy is that we aren’t in a relationship. It was just a harmless display of genuine affection, a little flirtation, and l promise you, it is totally over and will never happen again.”

“We have things to think about and discuss,” he said, turning from me and packing his bag. He shook his head when he picked up his ruined shirt, chuckling softly, and then chucking it in the trashcan.

“No!” I said, going and fishing it out. I held it to my face, inhaling deeply. It smelled of him, and I was instantly aroused, recalling our sexy times here on the couch and in the shower. “I want it to remember. Maybe I can repair it, to sleep in. I like that it smells like you.” His breathing changed, and a glance at the front of his sweatpants revealed the reaction he had to my words, and I smiled to myself.

“Let’s go home,” he said, his voice rough, and he cleared his throat and tried again. “Let’s go home.”

“OK,” I said agreeably. "We can talk at your place.”

As he led me to his car, we passed my car still sitting where it had been parked since yesterday morning. It seemed like it had been forever, but the reality was, it was barely two days. Our relationship, if you could call it that yet, had burned oh-so-hot in such a short time.

Tom buckled me into his car, a Jaguar, ooh, fancy, and drove me, not too long of a drive, to his flat. I followed him in, and he hung up my coat, and we went to his living room. He told me to have a seat, and then went to make tea.

When we were both seated on the couch with our cups, Tom looked at me and said, “I can see that you are having reservations about us. What are they?”

I looked at him gratefully. It would make this so much easier if he could be reasonable about it. “Well, first,” I began, “again, we really haven’t known each other all that long. We don’t know anything about the other. We only know that there’s this physical spark…” I thought he might say something, because even I didn’t believe what I was saying. But he surprised me by, instead of saying something out loud, taking out a small pocket notebook and a pen, and starting to take notes. Fair enough, but who fucking does that? Tom Fucking Hiddleston, that’s who!

“Second,” I continued, “if we are going to have a relationship, we don’t have to exactly hide it, but I want it stay professional on set. No fawning all over each other when we’re supposed to be working. I don’t mind if people know about us, but I don’t want to be in their faces about it.”

He finished writing, then looked up at me. “Is that all?” he asked politely, and I couldn’t help giggling a little.

“Yes, Mr. Hiddleston,” I said, tongue in cheek.

He flipped back to the first page of his notebook. “My turn then,” he said, and I nodded, and he smiled, chuckling a little.

“First, while I admit that we’ve not known each other long, I categorically deny that we,” and here, he looked closely at his notes, “‘only know that there’s this physical spark,’” he said, punctuating the phrase with air quotes. He looked me right in the eyes, his gaze intense; I felt thoroughly eye-fucked. “We both know it’s a lot more than physical. I know you felt that,“ he ran his hand through his hair and bit his lip, struggling to put words to what he was trying to say. It was adorable, and of course, I fell a little harder for him in that moment, “that shift. I know you felt it.”

I nodded; he was right. I knew exactly what he was talking about. “You’re right,” I murmured. “Go on.”

His smile lit up all the darkness in my soul and chased it all away. “That’s all,” he said happily. “I agree with everything else you’ve said!”

“Oh, you!” I launched myself at him, kissing and nipping at his lips, my tongue asking entrance to his mouth, exploring when he granted it. I couldn’t believe how aroused I was, yet again, as I stroked his rapidly hardening cock through his sweatpants. He groaned and pushed against my hand, and I shoved his pants and underwear down just enough that his cock sprang free. I bent and licked him root to tip, and he bucked his hips against me. I took him fully in my mouth, determined to try to master taking him all the way. With some concentration, I deep-throated him, and with a breathless, gasped, “Oh, god, Bethy,” he snapped, and frantically fucked my mouth.

I reveled in the knowledge of making him lose control, in the feeling of his hands fisted in my hair, until with an incoherent, wordless cry, he pulled me off of him, lifted me up — oh, the strength of him! — and slammed me down on top of his cock. I felt him hit my cervix, it was that intense, and when I whimpered, his eyes flew open, a silent apology in them, and he angled me so that he was hitting my g-spot instead. I’m sure my eyes went wide, before I let out a moan of approval, and I saw the dark satisfaction on his face as he rocked me on top of him.

“Tom… Tom…" I couldn’t help whisper-chanting his name as he brought me closer and closer, and when he licked his thumb and pressed it to my clit, I bit my lip to keep from screaming as I came all around him, an orgasm that he stretched out with such skill, l was suddenly jealous of all his previous girls, and sorry for all the ones who wouldn’t have him, now that I did!

When he was sure that I was done, he held me still and thrust up into me, his jaw clenched, and I felt it a privilege that I got to watch his beautiful face, when finally, he stiffened and pumped me full of his seed. ”I love you, Bethany, I really do,” he said, his eyes full of wonder, as he came down.

As I lay there afterward, my cheek pillowed against his chest, I realized that I still hadn’t let Lance know that I wasn’t coming home that night. I reached out and picked my phone up off the coffee table, sending him a text.

[I’m spending the night with a friend. Talk to you tomorrow. Bethany xo]

[Friend, huh? Does his name start with ‘T’ and end with ‘om’? Lance :)]

[Um, maybe… How could you tell? Bethany xo]

[I dunno. Just a lucky hunch! Lance :)]

[Don’t say it! I’ll talk to you tomorrow! Bethany xo]

[I wasn’t gonna. I hope you know what you’re doing. Have fun. He’s hot, btw. I’d do him! Lance :)]

“There. That’s done,” l said, putting my phone back and returning to my place on his chest.

“We should go to bed,” he said lazily, sounding so pleased with himself.

“Again?” I said, pretending to be shocked. “Why, Mr. Hiddleston, you, sir, are an insatiable man whore.”

“Hmmphf!" he said, or something like it. “I meant, to sleep, you wanton woman!” and, standing abruptly, he hoisted me into a fireman’s carry and proceeded to take me upstairs to his bedroom, where he dropped me on his luxurious king-sized bed.

“Can I sleep in one of your shirts?” I asked, batting my eyelashes at him, and he smirked and went to his dresser, pulling out a tee shirt and tossing it at me. “This is one of my favorites,” he said.

I pulled it on and then slipped into the bed, picking the side that had the bare bedside table. He soon joined me, pulling me into his arms and cuddling me gently. He nuzzled his nose into my hair, and I couldn’t help the distant hint of arousal I felt, but we needed to sleep. He kissed me then, a lingering, tender kiss. “I get up at 3:30 for my morning run,” he murmured into my ear, then kissed me again. “Sleep well, Bethany. I love you.”

“You sleep well, too, Tom,” I said. I knew he was waiting, holding his breath, and I wondered if I should say it. I decided to try to articulate what I was feeling. “A part of me loves you, Tom. It’s what I have right now. I like and respect you, and I acknowledge that we are connected some way. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Bethany,” he said, and I could tell he was smiling.


	14. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom’s POV of the scene, in his own words, ehehehe. Enjoy!

Chapter 14, Tom

I knew it was too soon to say it, but I couldn’t keep it in; it was ready to burst out of me! I could see her trying to decide how to handle it and what to say. The thoughts were racing across her face like the lights on a movie marquee. At least she had to think about it. That meant that she cared, right? Enough to not want to hurt my feelings, at least. That was something, anyway.

Finally, her face settled into a look of exasperation. “Oh, Tom,” she said. “It’s too soon for that. We’ve known each other for, what? Two days?”

I looked at her with what I hoped was an earnest look, but I couldn’t hold her gaze. “I know,” I said apologetically, dipping my head. “I tried not to say it. It just, escaped…”

I could tell that she didn’t know what to make of it. I could almost see the thought processes racing through her mind, she was so transparent and her face was so expressive. The way she is so open all the time is one of the things I love the most about her. She says what she thinks, and isn’t afraid to show you who she is! I knew what questions she had without her having to ask them, so, I answered them for her.

“Yes, I mean it,” I told her gently. I did. “Yes, it’s true.” It was. “Yes, I know you’re not ready.” Damn it. "Yes, I’ll wait.” For as long as it took! “No, I shouldn’t have said it. Yet.” I guess. "Yes, I’m sorry for that…” I lied. I wasn’t sorry in the least for saying it! I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! But, it would have sent her running the other way, so…

“Oh, Tom, you adorable dork!” she said, throwing her arms around me and giving me a big smacking kiss. “I’m going to tell you something, because I want to, l want you to know, and I think it will make you happy. But you have to promise not to take advantage of it.”

“What is it?” I wondered. Was she going to say it back? That would be entirely too good to be true. I was sure she was going to be more “reasonable” than that, but nevertheless, she’d given me hope, and I listened attentively.

She spoke quickly, almost as if she was racing to get the words out. “Tom, there’s a place deep inside me, here,” she indicated her heart!, “that has been screaming at me, since you kissed me tonight. Screaming and screaming…”

“What’s it screaming about, Bethany?” I was almost afraid to ask.

“It says that I love you, Tom,” she whispered. The joy I felt at hearing her words was intense. Alas, however, it was also short-lived, as she held a hand up, palm out in a stopping gesture. “But,” she said firmly, “But, there is a bigger, stronger, more powerful place, in here,” her head, dammit, “that insists that I can’t possibly yet, and that I need to keep my eyes open and try to learn and feel what I can over the course of filming this project. It seems like a valid argument.”

“I can’t fault that, Bethany,” I said, trying to see it her way, because she was right, it had been really fast, and at least she wasn’t saying a flat-out ‘no.’ She was trying to think things through, and not rush it, and that was probably wise. “It seems reasonable and prudent,” I told her. “I am willing to see where this goes. On one condition. Well, on a couple of conditions.” Because, there was a couple of things I needed to insist on, and I wasn’t sure how she was going to take them. To soften the blow, I hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. “One, I don’t have to hide how I feel from you. I’m allowed to tell you that I love you.” There was absolutely no way I would be able to keep from saying it. Heart on my sleeve, that’s me.

“Um, OK, I guess,” she said, not sounding too happy about it. Too bad, I thought, I wouldn’t be able to help it. “What’s the second condition?” she asked.

“No more hugging and kissing fucking Jay Baruchel!” I was joking, but I wasn’t. I suppose I had maybe deserved it, but it had been beyond painful to watch. Never again.

“God, I’m sorry about that, Tom,” she said, stroking my face. “I’m so, so sorry. Not only was it provocative, but it was highly unprofessional. The only thing that really saves it from being dismissal-worthy is that we aren’t in a relationship. It was just a harmless display of genuine affection, a little flirtation, and l promise you, it is totally over and will never happen again.”

“We have things to think about and discuss,” I said, and started packing my bag to go, and when l picked up my ruined shirt, I couldn’t help chuckling a little, and, shaking my head, I threw it in the trashcan.

“No!” Bethany said, going and fishing it out. She held it to her face, breathing it in, and somehow, that gesture was sweet, but also erotic, and I felt my cock twitch. “I want it to remember,” she said, a sweet expression on her face. Surely she wouldn’t have done something like that if she didn’t love me! “Maybe I can repair it, to sleep in. I like that it smells like you.” Oh. I felt my breath catch, and suddenly I had a tent pole in my sweatpants.

“Let’s go home,” I said, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Let’s go home.”

“OK,” she said agreeably. "We can talk at your place.”

I led her to my car and buckled her in, and drove to my flat. Once we got there, I settled her into the living room and made us tea, and once we were seated together on the couch with our cuppas, I looked at her and said, “I can see that you are having reservations about us. What are they?”

She looked at me gratefully, I think. I don’t know what she was expecting, but she seemed surprised at my reasonable attitude.

“Well, first,” she started, “again, we really haven’t known each other all that long. We don’t know anything about the other. We only know that there’s this physical spark…”

Really? Was that really how she wanted to play this? ‘Physical spark’ my arse. It was so much more than that. I’m sure she expected me to interrupt her and go all emotional, but I really like to do the unexpected, so instead of doing that, I kept my mouth shut, and took notes instead. I didn’t want to forget what I needed to say to refute her argument.

“Second,” she continued, “if we are going to have a relationship, we don’t have to exactly hide it, but I want it stay professional on set. No fawning all over each other when we’re supposed to be working. I don’t mind if people know about us, but I don’t want to be in their faces about it.”

Thank god! The thought of trying to hide how I felt about her while working so closely with her every day was something that had really weighed on my mind. If she’d wanted us to keep our relationship secret, I’d have tried, for her, but I know it would have killed me. I am never good at that that kind of thing. I agreed with her about being over the top, though, so I couldn’t help being pretty happy with this so far. I finished writing, then looked up at her. “Is that all?” I asked, and the little brat laughed at me. Probably the note taking. I know, l can be such a dork sometimes.

“Yes, Mr. Hiddleston,” she said, tongue in cheek.

I flipped back to the first page of notes. “My turn then,” I said, laughing myself.

“First, while I admit that we’ve not known each other long, I categorically deny that we,” I looked closely at my notes, “‘only know that there’s this physical spark,’” I told her, punctuating the phrase with air quotes. I looked her right in the eyes; it was the biggest load of horseshit, and I knew she damn well knew it! “We both know it’s a lot more than physical. I know you felt that," but I didn’t know how to put it into words, what to call it, but I knew she’d know what I was referring to, “that shift. I know you felt it.”

She nodded; I was right, of course. At least she was willing to admit it, she wasn’t trying to pretend to not know what I was talking about. “You’re right,” she said softly. “Go on.”

I couldn’t help beaming. That was it. Victory: Tom! “That’s all,” I said. “I agree with everything else you’ve said!”

“Oh, you!” she said, jumping on me, kissing and nipping at my lips, being the aggressor, her tongue exploring my mouth. She stroked my rapidly hardening cock through my sweatpants, and I groaned and bucked myself into her hand, and she shoved my pants and underwear down just enough that my cock sprang free. She licked me, root to tip, and I bucked against her again. We were like randy teenagers! It had been years since I’d been able to go this much in such a short amount of time, not that I’m complaining at all. She took me fully in her mouth, and deep-throated me, which almost never happens because of my size, and I couldn’t help it, I gasped, “Oh, god, Bethy,” and I lost control and gave in and fucked her mouth, wrapping my fists in her hair and holding her still.

I was getting close, but I wanted to finish inside her, so I forced myself to pull her off of me, and I lifted her up and impaled her on my cock. I think I must have hit her cervix, I was too rough and it hurt her. She whimpered, and I looked her in the eyes, trying to let her know how sorry I was, then I angled her so that I was hitting her g-spot with every thrust, instead. Her eyes went wide, and she moaned her approval, and I rocked her on top of me, watching her slowly coming undone.

“Tom… Tom…" she was whispering my name over and over, and I could tell she was getting closer, so I licked my thumb and pressed it to her clit, and she came hard and long, and it nearly tipped me over, too, but I managed to hold off.

I waited til I was sure that she was done, then held her still and thrust up into her, gritting my teeth, it was so intense, until finally, I stiffened and came deep inside her. "I love you, Bethany, I really do,” I said as I came down, marveling at the wonder of it.

Afterward, I held her, cheek pillowed against my chest, when she reached out and picked up her phone up off the coffee table, sending a text to Lance, I think. They went back and forth a bit, until finally, she put her phone back and returned to her place on my chest.

“There. That’s done,” she said. I wondered what they’d said to each other, but figured if she wanted me to know, she’d tell me.

“We should go to bed,” I said, so content I didn’t really want to move, but I knew we should.

“Again?” she said, pretending to be shocked. “Why, Mr. Hiddleston, you, sir, are an insatiable man whore.”

“Hmmphf!" That wasn’t what I meant, and it wasn’t exactly fair, either, but I think she was teasing, so I did, too.

“I meant, to sleep, you wanton woman!” I said, and standing abruptly, I threw her over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry and proceeded to take her upstairs to my bedroom, where I dropped her on my bed.

“Can I sleep in one of your shirts?” she asked, acting all coy, and I grinned and got out a tee shirt, tossing it at her.

“This is one of my favorites,” I said. It was my green Loki horns one.

She put it on and crawled into my bed, actually choosing the proper side, clever girl. It had been awhile since I’d actually spent the night with a girl, you know, sleeping, and the intimacy of it was something I was craving. I pulled on boxers and got in bed with her, pulling her into my arms and cuddling her gratefully. I nuzzled my nose in her hair, and it smelled so good, and I fought arousal, because, god, we’d already gone more times in this one day than I’d had for months, and, we really did need to get some sleep. I kissed her goodnight, and I made it last, but sweet, not sexy.

“I get up at 3:30 for my morning run,” I told her, and couldn’t resist one more little kiss. “Sleep well, Bethany. I love you,” I told her, then held my breath, waiting to see if she would say anything back.

“You sleep well, too, Tom,” she said, and then she was quiet. But I sensed she was trying to decide what to say. Finally, she said, “A part of me loves you, Tom. It’s what I have right now. I like and respect you, and I acknowledge that we are connected some way. Goodnight.”

It would do for now, and I couldn’t help feeling happy. “Goodnight, Bethany,” I said.


	15. b

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this story has more smut than my usual fic (except for The Unholy Three). And so, this chapter has something which might lose me some readers. Sorry! 
> 
> Um, not really! It’s my story! If you’re liking it, then I thank you so much! And again, thanks for reading, and enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who it still reading this. It’s really long, because of the switched POVs, but I’m having so much fun writing it!

Chapter 15, Bethany

Mmmm, morning sex with Tom. I awoke the next morning, spooned by him. I had slept better than I probably had in years, cradled all night long in his strong arms. I had never really cared for being touched while I sleep, until l slept with Tom. Now, I knew, it was going to be my new favorite thing.

But when I woke up, it was to something hard persistently poking me in the arse. I think Tom must have awakened about the same time as I did, because he rolled over onto his back saying, “So sorry about that,” in a sleep-groggy voice. "Never mind; it will go away on its own.”

I turned over to my other side, facing him, kissing him on the chest, and slipping my hand into the waistband of his boxers. Taking his glorious morning erection in my hand, I stroked it slowly a few times, and said, “What if I don’t want it to go away on its own?”

Tom’s breath caught, and he thrust a couple of times into my hand. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

I continued to stroke him, stretching up to kiss him softly, and said, “Do you realize we haven’t had sex in a bed yet?”

His brow wrinkled as he thought about it, and then he said, “You’re right. That’s crazy,” and he chuckled a little.

“So,” I said, “I think you should fuck me with this now, just some lazy morning sex.” I rolled over again so that my back was towards him once more, then I stuck my arse out towards him and rubbed up against his side.

He turned back over to spoon me, and tugged on my knickers. “Help me with these,” he murmured, and between the two of us, we got them off me.

I felt his fingers between my legs, stroking around my slit, reaching forward to tease my clit, and of course I was soon wet. When I was ready to Tom’s satisfaction, he positioned his cock at my opening and slowly pushed into me while we lay spooning on our sides.

He held still for a really long time, and I think maybe both of us dozed a bit, until slowly, he started to move in me. Once he started, it escalated fairly quickly. I pushed back against him, and he thrust into me, until finally, he was panting, holding my hip as he got closer and closer to his climax. He was hitting my g-spot with each thrust, and I was just wishing he’d use his fingers on me, when he read my mind. As his thumb pressed against my cIit, I moaned languidly and came.

“Oh, Bethy,” he sighed, and his own orgasm claimed him, and he pushed into me and emptied himself. Wrapping his arm around my waist as we came down, he cuddled me gently. "The feeling of you coming around my cock,” he whispered in my ear. “One of my favorite sensations. I love you, Bethany."

Looking at the bedside clock, I saw that it was after five, and we had to be on set at six. “We need to get up, love,” I said. “Hey, what happened to your run?”

“I didn’t think it was fair to make you get up that early,” he said, nuzzling his face into my hair at the back of my head. “But look, I got a workout anyway!”

We hopped in the shower together, and, mindful of our time, we only washed, although we did take the time to wash each other’s backs. Tom was so cuddly, his eyes huge; he didn’t have to tell me he loved me; I could see and feel it, but I wasn’t sure what to think about it. Anyway, we dressed and made it to the set on time.

When we got to our trailer, Jay was already there and, and when we came in, obviously together, he smirked. “Not a word,” l told him.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he said, taking a seat in the chair.

I got my two actors made up, with hair perfectly in place, and the proper costumes, then we went to the location for the day’s filming. We were outdoors once again, and I was beginning to get lost in the story. When the first cut came around, l was nervous about how Tom might act, but I didn’t need to worry; his behavior was perfect. On the contrary, I was the one having trouble keeping my hands to myself. Doing his makeup was torture, and I used it as an excuse to cup his face in my hand. Likewise, touching up his hair had me tweaking it with my fingers, just so that I could touch it. Tom just looked into my eyes, with a complete depth of feeling. The only contact he allowed himself was a brief squeeze of my hand as he turned to walk back to his places.

By lunch break, I was ready to scream. We walked over to the buffet spread and got plates of food, then walked a little ways apart from everyone else so that we could talk without being overheard. I noticed Jay approaching Clarice, and I thought it strange, but l was too frustrated to dwell on it.

“Tom, I can’t take it anymore,” I growled. ”If you don’t want me attacking you the minute we reach our trailer after filming today, you will find a way right now for me to kiss you!”

“I suppose you could just kiss me,” he said reasonably. "I think everyone is aware that we are together.”

“Do you really think so?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Oh, yes,” he said, giant signature smile beaming at me. ”You aren’t very good at this, Bethy," he said, smirking. “It’s coming off of you in waves.”

“What?” I asked defensively. "I’m not doing anything!”

“You don’t have to, love,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re… longing, I guess. Yearning…”

“I fucking need you to kiss me," I said, gritting my teeth.

“That’s what I mean,” he said, looking around. “Bethany, there’s nowhere.”

I couldn’t help glancing at the small bank of porta-loos that were off to the side. Tom followed my gaze and saw where l was looking, and an expression half amusement and half disgust came across his face. “Bethany, really?” he asked, brow arched. “Ewww. You wouldn’t really kiss me in a porta-loo, would you?”

"Have you got a better idea?” I asked him. “People make out in airplane restrooms all the time. This isn’t much different! I need to kiss you!”

“OK,” he said, looking and sounding resigned. "Watch which one I go into. I’ll leave the door open. You come join me after a minute or two.”

“Thanks, Tom,” I said gratefully, and watched as he walked over and went into one of the little plastic buildings. As I walked over to join him, I thought to myself, that they were still pretty clean. We were only in our third day of filming. I opened the door and went in.

Tom locked it behind me and pulled me into his arms. “My lady wants a kiss,” he said, sounding insufferably silly; my heart sped up. How is it that the sillier, the dorkier he was, the more I wanted him? “A kiss my lady shall have,” he finished, and tipping my head back with one hand, he brought his lips to mine.

He teased me at first, keeping the contact light, his mouth just barely open, but refusing to deepen it. I made a moan of protest deep in my throat, grabbed his face in both hands, and forced my tongue into his mouth. His breath caught, and he let me drive the kiss for a moment, before taking it over and kissing me thoroughly. I could feel his cock stiffening in his trousers, pressing against me, and he ran his lips across my cheek to my neck, groaning, "Great, now I have a fucking boner. Thanks, Bethany.”

I was breathing heavily, and wet, and I pulled away from him, undid my jeans, and shoved them, along with my underwear, down to my ankles. “Quickie,” I said, turning around and wiggling my arse at him.

“I fucking love you, Bethy,” he said, chuckling, and I heard his zipper, and a few seconds later he was thrusting into me from behind. “Touch yourself, Bethy. I need to feel you cum around my cock.”

I started rubbing my clit frantically as he rutted against me, and it didn’t take long, and I was coming, my internal muscles clenching him. “Fuck, Tom," I moaned. A second later, he joined me, shoving into me and pumping me full. He held still for just a moment, holding me, before he pulled out and turned me around, kissing me gently. “I do love you, Bethany,” he said, chuckling. “A porta-loo…”

He cleaned himself up, and I fussed with his hair, and smoothed my fingertips over his face to blend his makeup. “You’ll do,” I said, grinning at him. “Go. I’ll come in a few minutes.”

He unlatched the door and left, and I went ahead and used the thing for its intended purposes before returning to the set myself.

The rest of the day’s shooting was uneventful. I continued to long for Tom when I did his touchups; he just smirked at me and squeezed my hand, and l was able to keep myself in check.

Jay couldn’t resist saying, “You and Tom, huh?” with a huge smirk.

“Is it obvious?” I asked him, genuinely curious.

“Only a little,” he assured me. “You look cute, and it’s not over the top in any way. But the way that you look at each other… He’s clearly in love with you.”

“Really?" I asked. “What can you tell about me?”

“You’re harder to read,” he said, frowning a little. "You haven’t allowed yourself to go there yet, have you?”

“Not all the way," I said honestly. “But it’s getting harder and harder to resist.”

“Why fight it?” he said, shaking his head. ”Tom’s a good guy.”

“We’ve known each other less than three days,” l said. “I’m trying to be prudent here. And I don’t want to get hurt.”

“Well,” Jay said quietly. "I can tell you that Tom is never the one who initiates a breakup. He loves easy, and he loves hard. And he’s had his heart broken too many times. Be careful with him, OK?”

“I thought you’d never met him til this film?” l said. "How can you know all this about him?”

“He talks a lot,” Jay said, his lips twitching with amusement. “I gotta go. Remember what I’ve said, OK, Bethany?”

“OK,” I agreed. "Thanks, Jay.”

When Danny called the wrap on the day’s filming, Tom scooped up my bag, as always, and I walked between Jay and Tom back to our trailer. Jay showered and changed first, while Tom and I cuddled together on the couch (and I got his makeup all over my face and hands).

When Jay came out, he said goodbye, and left, and Tom went to shower and change. He was quick, and when he came out, he gave me the puppy eyes, and said, “Will you come home with me tonight?”

I looked at him with regret. "Tom, I really can’t,” I said reluctantly. “My car is still sitting in the parking lot from the first day! I really should go home. Besides, it will give me a chance to talk to Lance about Saturday, and you can call Luke.”

“I knew you’d say that,” he said plaintively, resigned. “Well, kiss me, then.”

Of course, I did, holding him lingeringly. Damn, I didn’t want to spend the night apart from him!

He clung to me, murmuring words of love that had my heart melting in my chest. He was deliberately making this hard, and I looked at him in exasperation. “Oh, Tom," I said, brushing his hair back from his forehead, "what am I going to do with you?”

He looked at me, his eyes clear, his face certain. No doubts, all seriousness.

“Love me, Bethany,” he said.


	16. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thank you all for not freaking out about the porta-potty! I almost didn’t put it in, but it’s where my nasty mind went. Here, from Tom’s POV. He talks too much, and, he finally explains to Jay (and us) about seeing a therapist!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 16, Tom

I awoke, the way I always do, a few minutes before the alarm went off. Did I really need a run this morning? Did I? It didn’t seem fair to wake Bethany this early, and besides, I didn’t want to leave her. It had been awhile since I’d had a relationship, and the truth is, I love holding my love while we sleep. I’m pretty sure I had cradled her all night, I was certainly holding her now, and as I turned off the alarm and pressed a kiss to her forehead, I reveled in the feeling of holding her close while I drifted back to sleep.

The next time I awoke, a few hours later, I was spooning her, my morning wood poking her in the arse. Damn it, of course. I have had partners tell me that it’s a most annoying way to be wakened, so I rolled over onto my back, sleepily saying, when l realized that she was already awake, “So sorry about that. Never mind; it will go away on its own.”

She turned over towards me, kissing me on my chest, and slipping her hand into the waistband of my boxers. She took me in hand, and stroked my cock slowly a few times, and said, “What if I don’t want it to go away on its own?”

I gasped, and I couldn’t help thrusting a couple of times into her hand. “What did you have in mind?” I asked, because this was pretty unusual. Mostly girls I’ve been with have just wanted to sleep.

My Bethany kept stroking me, and she leaned up and kissed me, and said, “Do you realize we haven’t had sex in a bed yet?”

I could hardly believe that, but when I thought back on it, and the times we’d been together, I realized that it was true. “You’re right. That’s crazy,” I said, laughing a little.

“So,” she said cheekily, “I think you should fuck me with this now, just some lazy morning sex.” She turned so her back was towards me again, then she rubbed up against me with her arse, so I turned back over to spoon her, and tugged at her knickers. “Help me with these,” I asked nicely, and together, we got them off her.

I reached between her legs to see how ready she was: hmmm, already a little damp. I stroked her gently to prepare her more fully, teasing her clit, and I was rewarded by a flood of moisture. When I thought she was ready, I slowly pushed into her while we lay spooning together, still on our sides.

I just held her for a while, relishing the feel of her around me, the warm wetness, and no reason to rush, and I think maybe both of us dozed a bit, until gradually, I had the need to move in her. Once I started, I’m afraid it didn’t take me long to lose control. Bethany pushed back against me, increasing my urgency, and I thrust into her, until finally, I was panting, holding on to her as I felt my orgasm approaching. I think I was hitting her g-spot with each thrust, because she was gasping each time, and when I pressed my thumb against her cIit, she moaned as she came.

“Oh, Bethy,” I sighed, and as my own orgasm claimed me, I gave one final thrust, hilting myself in her and shooting deep inside. Wrapping my arm around her as we came down, I cuddled her to me gently. "The feeling of you coming around my cock,” I whispered next to her ear. “One of my favorite sensations. I love you, Bethany."

“We need to get up, love,” she said, looking over me at the clock on my night table. “Hey, what happened to your run?”

“I didn’t think it was fair to make you get up that early,” I told her, nuzzling my face into her hair at the back of her head. “But look, I got a workout anyway!”

We showered together, but there wasn’t any time for continued play, so we only washed, although we did take the time to wash each other’s backs. I just wanted to hold her. I knew she could see it on my face. I never wanted to let her go, I just wanted to maintain some sort of contact with her all the time. My love was so new, I just wanted to revel in it, but I could tell she still wasn’t ready. Not yet. 

As we came into our trailer together, we found that Jay had arrived before us, as we were lucky to be on time. He smirked at us, and Bethany gave him a look and said, “Not a word.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he said, taking a seat in the chair.

Bethany got us both ready, made up, with hair perfectly in place, and the proper costumes, then we went to the location for the day’s filming, another outdoor day. When it was time for the first cut, l was determined to behave myself. I knew Bethany was worried that l would embarrass her, staking my claim publically or something, and while I would never do that, I did have to back down from what I wanted, which was to hug and kiss her. Imagine my surprise when it was obvious to me that she was the one who was having trouble keeping her distance! I could tell that, while she was doing my makeup, her hands lingered a bit longer than they needed to, and when she did my hair, her touch was more caressing than repairing. I just looked deep into her eyes, trying to convey everything I was feeling with just a look. The only contact I allowed myself was a brief squeeze of her hand as I turned to walk back to my places.

But I couldn’t stop talking about her to Jay. If she knew, she’d probably kill me. But, when he looked at me and asked if we were together, what was I supposed to say? I wasn’t going to lie!

“Well, it’s obvious you’re in love with her,” he said, smirking.

“She doesn’t feel the same,” I said quietly, looking at my feet.

“Oh, she does,” he said certainly. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”

I looked at him sharply. “You think?” I asked him, and he just nodded. “She says it’s too soon,” I said dejectedly. “After Ka — uh, after an actress, who shall remain nameless, broke my heart a few years ago, I was a little depressed, so I started seeing a therapist. He told me that I have an almost infinite capacity to love. Basically, I love everyone; it’s just a matter of degree. He always says I ‘love easy, and hard.’ I kind of like that; it’s a good way to be. But, l get my heart broken a lot that way, too. Do you know, I’ve had several girlfriends over the years, and I have never broken up with any of them? They have all broken up with me.”

“That’s tough, man,” Jay said sympathetically. “Hang in there. This time with Bethany, l think it will be different. I’ve been watching her. She’s so frustrated right now that she’s practically vibrating with it." He gestured to where she was standing off to the side. “Take a look. Just watch her for a minute.”

I turned to look at her, and damned if he wasn’t right. Her agitation was palpable. I told myself to not get my hopes up; obviously, she wanted me physically, but that didn’t mean she was in love with me. But as I continued to watch her — with some amusement, I’ll admit — l had to acknowledge that at least her feelings were a step in the right direction.

I joined her for lunch break, and we walked over to the buffet spread and got plates of food, then walked a little ways apart from everyone else so that we could talk without being overheard. She picked at her food, staring at me like I would be more to her liking than what was on her plate.

Finally, she burst out, “Tom, I can’t take it anymore. If you don’t want me attacking you the minute we reach our trailer after filming today, you will find a way right now for me to kiss you!”

“I suppose you could just kiss me,” I said reasonably, shrugging my shoulders. ”I think everyone is aware that we are together.”

“Do you really think so?” she asked, looking up at me.

The expression on her face made me happy, and I know I had a giant grin on my face when I answered her. “Oh, yes. You aren’t very good at this, Bethy. It’s coming off of you in waves.” Just like Jay said it was, the smart little fucker!

“What?” she asked, obviously in denial. "I’m not doing anything!”

“You don’t have to, love,” l told her, shaking my head. I tried to put what I was seeing in words. It was difficult, but what came out was, “You’re… longing, I guess. Yearning…”

“I fucking need you to kiss me," she said, clenching her jaw.

Yes, of course she did! “That’s what I mean,” I told her, looking around. “Bethany, there’s nowhere.”

I saw her glancing at the small bank of porta-loos that were off to the side and I almost couldn’t believe it. Was she really that desperate? Certainly, it was amazing for my ego, and gave me hope for our future together! But I said, “Bethany, really? Ewww. You wouldn’t really kiss me in a porta-loo, would you?”

”Have you got a better idea?” she asked me. “People make out in airplane restrooms all the time. This isn’t much different! I need to kiss you!”

“OK,” I said, not knowing what else to do. She wanted me; there was no way I was not going to enjoy that or turn it down. "Watch which one I go into. I’ll leave the door open. You come join me after a minute or two.”

“Thanks, Tom,” she said gratefully, and I walked over to the things. Fortunately, we were only in our third day of filming, and they were still pretty clean. I opened the door and went in.

She followed me shortly, and I locked it behind her and pulled her into my arms. “My lady wants a kiss,” I said, with my best Shakespearean accent. “A kiss my lady shall have.” Tipping her head back with one hand, I kissed her.

I couldn’t help it, I teased her at first, keeping the contact light, my mouth just barely open, and no tongue. She wanted more, and she moaned in protest deep in her throat, grabbed my face in both hands, and forced her tongue into my mouth. Surprised at the extent of her desperation, I gasped, and let her control the kiss for a moment, before taking it over and kissing her deeply. Shit, I could feel my cock reacting, stiffening in my trousers, pressing against her, and I dropped little kisses over her face to her neck, unable to stop myself, and I groaned, "Great, now I have a fucking boner. Thanks, Bethany.”

She was breathing heavily, too, and my cock threatened to burst out of my trousers when she pulled away from me, undid her jeans, and shoved them and her underwear, down to her ankles. “Quickie,” she said, turning around and wiggling her arse at me!

Talk about erotic! I almost came just thinking about it, but I held out long enough to unzip my trousers and free myself. “I fucking love you, Bethy,” I said, chuckling, thrusting into her from behind. “Touch yourself, Bethy. I need to feel you cum around my cock.”

She started rubbing herself a little wildly as I continued to slide in and out of her, and it didn’t take her long, and I felt her walls squeezing my cock, her internal muscles clenching me for all she was worth.

“Fuck, Tom," she moaned. A second later, I climaxed as well, shoving into her and pumping her full. I held her for just a moment, not really wanting to let her go, before pulling out and turning her around, kissing her gently. “I do love you, Bethany,” I said, chuckling. I still couldn’t believe where we were. “A port-loo…”

I cleaned myself up, and she tugged at my hair, and smoothed her fingertips over my face to blend my makeup. “You’ll do,” she said, grinning at me, looking freshly fucked. “Go. I’ll come in a few minutes,” and I unlatched the door and went back to the set.

The rest of the day’s shooting was uneventful. Bethany continued to yearn for me, so hard I could feel it, every time I went to her for touchups. Although, inside, I was shouting victory, outwardly, I was able to keep my cool, just smiling at her and squeezing her hand.

When Danny called the wrap on the day’s filming, I picked up her bag, as always, and she walked between Jay and I back to our trailer. Jay showered and changed first, while Bethany and I cuddled together on the couch, which did smear my makeup all over both of us, but I don’t think either one of us cared.

When Jay came out, he said goodbye, and left, and I went to shower and change, but I tried to hurry so that I could get back to her. I was hoping, so I asked, “Will you come home with me tonight?”

She looked at me, I think with regret. "Tom, I really can’t,” she said reluctantly. “My car is still sitting in the parking lot from the first day! I really should go home. Besides, it will give me a chance to talk to Lance about Saturday, and you can call Luke.”

To tell you the truth, I wasn’t surprised. I think she was just using it as an excuse to get a little distance, and not wanting to spook or smother her, I said, probably sounding a little whiney, “I knew you’d say that. Well, kiss me, then.”

Of course, she did, and she held me for a long time. Damn, I didn’t want to let her go!

I’m afraid I clung to her, murmuring words of love that I hoped would maybe change her mind. I confess, I was deliberately trying to make it hard for her to leave me, and she pulled away and gave me a look.

“Oh, Tom," she said, playing with my hair, "what am I going to do with you?”

I knew what I wanted her to do. I had no doubts at all, and I wasn’t joking in the slightest. I looked at her with as much honesty as I could.

“Love me, Bethany,” I said.


	17. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If it's OK, I really love Tom and Bethany together.

Chapter 17, Bethany

I almost changed my mind and went home with him, the bastard. He almost convinced me.

“Tom,” I said, pouting a little. “Don’t. You know I have to do this. Be reasonable.”

He hung his head. “I just don’t want to sleep without you,” he mumbled, not meeting my eyes.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” I said. “It’s only for tonight, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Finally, he looked up at me. The man had tears in his eyes. Honest to goodness tears.

“Oh, Tom, come here,” I said, pulling him close and kissing him gently. “You know I’m onto you,” I whispered in his ear. “I’ve seen enough of your performances to know you can do that at will.”

He sniffed, and grinned through his tears. "That doesn’t make these less real,” he said.

And, of course, my heart melted a little bit more, which, again, of course, is what he was counting on. I wiped his tears away with my thumbs. “Walk me to my car," I said, scooping up my purse.

“Let me just get my bag, I’m parked near you, remember?” he said, turning and shoving things into his case.

We walked to our cars, and before I got into mine, we shared another hug and a tender kiss. He cupped my face in his hands, and, I swear, the look he gave me could have melted stone. “I love you, Bethany,” he said softly, and kissed me again.

I wanted to say something, but hell, what was there to say? "I’ll see you in the morning, Tom. Have a good evening.” As I drove away, I could see him in my rearview mirror, standing by his car with his hands in his pockets, watching me drive away. He didn’t move until I could no longer see him, he just stood watching my car. Watching me.

When I got home, I dropped my purse and kicked off my shoes in the front hall, moving into the flat proper, and looking for Lance.

“In the kitchen, love,” he called, so I joined him.

“Smells good," I said, sniffing appreciatively. Lance is a great cook. “Pasta Alfredo,” he said shortly, pretending to be miffed at me. “So, are you home tonight, then?”

“Uh, yeah, I thought I should be,” I said. I knew what was coming.

He turned to me, barely able to contain his excitement. “OMG, girlfriend, Tom Fucking Hiddleston! What is he like? Is he fabulous? Will you see him again? Are you two an item?”

“Slow down, Lance, slow down!” I said. “One question at a time.” I went and sat at our small table. “Let’s see,” I ticked his questions off on my fingers. “What’s he like? Impossible to describe. Beyond handsome, so attentive, so loving; he makes me feel like a princess.”

“Awww, sweet,” Lance said, and then I continued.

“Is he fabulous? Oh, god, Lance, you have no idea! He’s more than fabulous. He’s… I dunno, stupendous, colossal!” That made Lance laugh.

“Will I see him again? Of course, we’re still working together.” Lance made a little sound of disapproval, and I smirked. “I know, that’s not what you meant. Yes, I think it’s safe to say I’ll see him again. As to whether we’re an item; I honestly don’t know.” I paused, thinking of Tom’s declarations of love. “I think we might be,” I said uncertainly. ”Yeah, I think we might be an item…” my voice trailed off.

Lance took off his apron and came and sat in the chair opposite me. He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. "So, spill,” he said. “What’s he like in bed?”

I felt myself blush crimson. "Well, we’ve only managed to do it once in an actual bed…”

“Bethany, you were only together for twenty-four hours, and part of that was spent working. How many times could there be, and where else could you possibly have done it?”

“Uh, the couch in the trailer, and the shower, and his couch, uh, his bed, a porta-loo on set…” Um, yeah. I blushed to say it out loud.

At that last once, Lance had heard enough. He sat up straight, looking at me with his mouth open. “Let me get this straight,” he said. “You had sex, with Tom Hiddleston, in a porta-loo?”

I just nodded, biting my lip.

“Man, the paparazzi would have a field day with that!” he said.

“It’s a really small film, not a giant blockbuster,” I said. “They haven’t even discovered that we’re filming yet,” I said, feeling small, because honestly, I hadn’t even considered what it would mean for Tom should something like this get out.

“Well, you’re lucky,” Lance said, looking at me sternly. He’s an actor, and clearly thinks of these things in a different way than I do. “So, I take it he’s good?”

“You have no idea,” I said, grinning when I recalled just how good.

“So, do you love him?” he asked me archly, brow raised.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” I said, standing up so violently, I knocked over my chair. “We’ve only known each other for three fucking days!”

“My god, he’s told you he’s in love with you, hasn’t he?” Lance got up from the table, grabbed my hands, and started dancing me around the kitchen and chanting, "Tom Hiddleston is in love with my best friend!”

“He says he is,” I admitted in a whisper. Then, I said, a little louder, "But Lance, how can he be? Three days. It’s been three days.”

“Well,” Lance said, sounding so reasonable, I almost believed it myself, “I am a firm believer in love at first sight!” He went and put his apron back on. "Let’s eat!”

“So,” I said, taking another bite of Lance’s delicious pasta, "Tom says he thinks that Luke would like you.”

Lance got serious. That’s the funny thing about Lance — he really does believe in love at first sight. He’s been in love with Luke for years, so much so that he hasn’t had a real relationship because of it, and he’s never even actually met the man. ‘I just know he’s the one,’ he’d say. ‘Until I meet him and find out we can’t work out, I’m saving myself.’ And I knew he was only half joking. So, this opportunity for them to actually meet was huge. Lance would either be meeting the love of his life, or he’d be set free to find him.

“Anyway, Tom and I want to double date with you and Luke on Saturday, if you’re available. That’s why I had to come home tonight, so I could talk to you, and Tom is calling Luke.”

“Well, you know I’m in,” Lance said excitedly. “Whatever you and Tom have in mind, I am so there!”

“Awesome!” I said. "I’m going to just text Tom and tell him.”

I got my phone and pulled up Tom’s number. Fortunately, I hadn’t deleted it the other night when Tom had texted me to apologize. I looked over that conversation we’d had with fondness. So much had happened between us since then.

[Lance is in for Saturday. He’s really excited. B (*_*)] I sent.

[That’s great!! Luke is on his way over here. I was lonely, so he’s bringing pizza. Txox]

[Poor baby. I hope he says yes. Bxox]

[He will. Bethany, I miss you. Txox]

[Oh, Tom, I’ll see you tomorrow! Bxox]

[I love you, Bethany! Txox]

[I care about you, Tom. Bxox]

[Lame, Bethany… Txox]

[Sorry, it’s the best I’ve got. See you tomorrow, Tom. Bxox]

[See you, Bethany. Can’t wait. I’ll let you know what Luke says. Txox ]

Lance and I spent the rest of the evening watching videos. I had picked first last time, so Lance got to go first tonight. He had a giant smirk on his face when he put the disc in the player. He very carefully didn’t let me see what it was, so when the opening credits of ‘Thor’ rolled by, he watched me closely for my reaction, stifling his laughter with his fist. I gave him a dirty look, but secretly, I thought it was a great idea. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see it the same way ever again. Now that I knew Tom intimately, I had a much greater appreciation for just how much skill be brought to his craft. There is no doubt that the man is a brilliant actor, skilled, experienced, versatile. From what I’d been able to see of him during filming over the past few days, he is easy to work with and fun. He takes direction well, but he’s intelligent, and if he thinks something isn’t working, or that if you added something it would make it better, then he doesn’t hesitate to take it respectfully to the director. Now, watching him first in ‘Thor,’ and then in ‘The Avengers’ (my pick, of course), I couldn’t help but be struck by what a gifted artist he is.

Was I in love with him, after only three days? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like a distinct possibility.

Lance and I went to bed after the second movie, taking a rain check on ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ as both of us had to go to work in the morning. Tom texted me at about 10:30 to tell me Luke was in for our date. I was brushing my teeth, and Lance was in the kitchen making his lunch for tomorrow, so I wandered in and told him. Of course, he was elated, and ran to his room to start planning what to wear.

I went to bed and tried to read for a while, but I couldn’t concentrate, and kept reading the same line over and over again, so I put my book up and tried to sleep. But my bed was too big, too cold, and too empty. I got my phone out and sent Tom a text.

[I fucking miss you, you big jerk. Bxox]

To which he simply replied, [:D Txox]

I tossed and turned, until finally, I gave in and pleasured myself, imaging it was Tom: lightly tweaking my nipples, stroking my folds, inserting and finding my g-spot with his long fingers, rubbing my clit, until finally I came, softly moaning his name.

Stupid Tom Fucking Hiddleston.


	18. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this. It’s so much fun to write! Of course, I love Tom, silly lovesick fool, but I’m loving sassy Bethany Cleopatra Queen of DeNial, as well! Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked if Luke and Lance will get their own chapters. Would y’all like that? It might be fun! I even thought Jay might get his own, at some point. They’ll be headed for filming on location in Cambridge soon, which is gonna cause it’s own problems, and… well, no more spoilers!

Chapter 18, Tom

I tried so very hard to convince her to stay with me. I’m sure she was calling me all kinds of names in her head, because I wasn’t playing fair, and we both knew it. I think I almost convinced her, to stay with me, at any rate. As for loving me, well, Jay said she did, but that she just didn’t know it yet. And why would I put stock in what he said? Because I so desperately wanted to believe it, of course. But, coming home with me? Oh, she wanted to!

“Tom,” she said plaintively, pouting adorably. “Don’t. You know I have to do this. Be reasonable.”

I ducked my head, looking down. Suddenly, it wasn’t funny anymore. “I just don’t want to sleep without you,” I said quietly, and I couldn’t look at her. Dammit. I felt tears stinging my eyes.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” she snapped. “It’s only for tonight, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Finally, I had to look up at her. Fuck, there’s no way she’s not going to notice that I’m fucking crying. So manly. Shit. Damn.

“Oh, Tom, come here,” she said, hugging and kissing me. “You know I’m onto you,” she whispered in my ear. “I’ve seen enough of your performances to know you can do that at will.”

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I can, with the proper motivation. But that’s not what this was about. These were genuine. However, if she thought I was faking, I could save some masculine face. The thought had me grinning, but honesty compelled me to say, "That doesn’t make these less real.”

I don’t know whether she believed me or not, but the look on her face was tender. That was worth it, and she wiped my tears away with her thumbs. “Walk me to my car," she said.

“Let me just get my bag, I’m parked near you, remember?” I said, packing my case.

We walked to our cars, and before she got into hers, I got her to kiss me again, while I held her. I cupped her face in my hands, just loving her with my eyes. She’s so beautiful, sometimes it overwhelms me.

“I love you, Bethany,” I said softly, and kissed her again.

I could see her struggling. Why wouldn’t she just admit it? So stubborn, oh, she was in such denial! "I’ll see you in the morning, Tom. Have a good evening,” she said. I couldn’t help watching her as she drove away, standing by my car with my hands in my pockets, fists clenched, watching her drive away, until I could no longer see her. Driving away. From me.

There wasn’t anything else for me to do. I got in my car and drove home.

I was miserable. I was tearful and lonely. I was supposed to call Luke and invite him to our double date on Saturday, but hey, I hadn’t seen the fellow in a while, and since I really didn’t want to be alone tonight, I decided to just ask him to come over. He’s my publicist, but he’s my friend, as well. And, I had to tell him about Bethany, anyway. When I start a relationship, he needs to know, since he is my front line with the press. Against the press, whatever.

Luke actually sounded delighted to be invited, and he said if I brought the Guinness, he would bring the pizza, so I checked to make sure I had plenty in my refrigerator (I did), and went and sat with a book in the living room to wait. My phone buzzed with the text message alert sound. I couldn’t help getting excited when I saw it was Bethany, and I was touched to know she’d saved my contact information from the other night, even though she’d been really angry with me then.

[Lance is in for Saturday. He’s really excited. B (*_*)] she sent.

[That’s great!! Luke is on his way over here. I was lonely, so he’s bringing pizza. Txox] was my response.

[Poor baby. I hope he says yes. Bxox]

[He will. Bethany, I miss you. Txox]

[Oh, Tom, I’ll see you tomorrow! Bxox]

[I love you, Bethany! Txox]

[I care about you, Tom. Bxox] Fuck, why not just stab me in the heart?

[Lame, Bethany… Txox]

[Sorry, it’s the best I’ve got. See you tomorrow, Tom. Bxox]

[See you, Bethany. Can’t wait. I’ll let you know what Luke says. Txox]

Well, good. Having gotten off on a bad foot with Lance, I was eager to try to change his opinion of me. I knew instinctively that he was more important to Bethany than she had so far indicated to me, and I knew that it behooved me to get on his good side.

A few minutes later, Luke was knocking on the door and coming on in, as is his way, large pizza box in his hands, comfortable smile on his face. “Hallo, Tom,” he said. “Thank you for inviting me over. This will be a more enjoyable way to catch up than over the phone.”

He sat the pizza box on the coffee table and plopped down on my couch, and I got up and fetched us a couple of bottles of Guinness from the kitchen. “So, how’s the movie coming?” he asked, looking at me curiously.

I eyed my friend. They claimed their breakup had been mutual and amicable, but I’m here to tell you, there’s no such thing. Luke had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked tired. Meeting a fellow like Lance would be just what he needed, but I would get to that later. First, I had to tell him about Bethany.

“The movie,” I said now, "is actually going fabulously. It’s a small, independent film, but the story, which is true, by the way — I actually went to school with the man I’m portraying — is fascinating. It’s funny, there’s drama, and angst, and romance — even a little mystery in there!"

Luke smiled. “It sounds great, Tom.”

“I’m actually quite proud to be associated with the project," I told him, running my hand through my hair. Nervous habit; it’s probably time to say something about Bethany, I thought.

“But, there’s something else, isn’t there?” he asked, looking at me shrewdly. How does he always fucking do that?

I gave him a half-smile. “You’re so perceptive, Luke, my friend," I said.

He frowned. “It’s not trouble with Baruchel, is it?”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. “No, nothing like that! Jay and have actually become quite good friends. We have really a lot in common. No, that’s not it.”

“But there is something…” Luke gave me a piercing look. “Just tell me, Tom, for fuck’s sake!”

“I’m sorry, Luke, of course,” I said, looking apologetic, I’m sure. “OK, I’ve met someone. We’re kind of dating. I’m ready to go forward, but she thinks it’s too soon. This is a closed set, and no one has discovered us yet, but it’s only a matter of time before someone sees me with Bethany and puts two and two together.”

“Bethany,” Luke said, almost tasting her name. OK, I know, I was projecting! Never mind! “Is she an actress?” he asked me.

“No,” I said. “She’s Jay and my HMC tech.”

“OK,” he said, sounding skeptical, but he’s not really one to judge, thank goodness. "From what you’ve told me, that’s probably all I need to know for now.”

“I love her, Luke,” I said, probably sounding a little desperate. “You need to know that, too.”

He shook his head. "Tom, I’ve heard that before.”

He had. “But this time, I really mean it!” l insisted.

“I’ve heard that before, too,” he said, grinning.

“There’s one other thing, Luke,” I said. “Bethany’s best friend thinks he’s in love with you. He’s just been waiting for you to be single, which you are now. His name is Lance.”

Luke took a deep breath, and looked at me, resigned. “Tom, I know I’ve been a little down since Richard and I broke up, but honestly, setting me up…?”

“No, wait,” I said, stopping him. “It’s just that, Bethany and l would like the four of us to all go out on Saturday night. You could meet Bethany, and you might like Lance. No pressure or strings. And, I’d really like you to meet Bethany. Say you’ll come.”

“All right, Tom, all right, when you put it that way,” Luke said, “why not? What have I got to lose?”

“Great!" I said enthusiastically. “I’ll let Bethany know. She’ll be so happy!”

[Luke is in. Txox] I sent .

[ :) Bxox] she sent back.

Luke and I chatted quite a bit more, and we ended up watching a couple of videos, which made me wonder if Bethany and Lance were doing the same thing, since that’s what they’d been doing that night she and I had fought.

So, it was pretty late before Luke left and I finally got to bed. I was too keyed up to sleep, though, so I sat up reading a while. I was lonely in my bed. I could still smell Bethany on the sheets. I didn’t even want sex — well, OK, I did, but that wasn’t what this was about. I just wanted to hold her. I just wanted to feel her sleeping beside me. I just wanted to listen to her breathe. I just wanted to wake up and have her there, with me. I just wanted her to let me love her. I wanted her to love me.

My phone made the new text alert sound. Hmm, it was really late. Who could still be up? I wondered if Luke had forgotten something.

I picked up my phone from off my night table to check it.

It was from Bethany: [I fucking miss you, you big jerk. Bxox]

Imagine Tom Hiddleston, naked as the day he was born, doing a happy dance around his bedroom, just because he got a text message. I debated with myself how to answer her. I thought about her happy face response to finding out that Luke had agreed to our date on Saturday. Less is more, right?

So I simply replied, [:D Txox]

Hope springs eternal. I was beginning to think maybe Jay was right.


	19. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks eveyone for reading. OK, so, Bethany needed a kick in the pants. Unfortunately, well, read on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should issue a warning for major character injury, on-set accident… But know that it’s gonna be OK… thanks again…

Chapter 19, Bethany

It was still dark when I woke; I reached for Tom, but he wasn’t there. I opened my eyes. Oh yeah, that’s right. I was in my own bed, alone. I had refused to go home with Tom. I was being ‘reasonable,’ that was it. Eager to see him, I rose, showered, and dressed. It was early. I took the Metro to work and was the first of us to get there, so I set up my makeups and hair products, and sat waiting on the couch for my actors to arrive.

Tom came in a few minutes later. I stood and faced him, and he took a step towards me that looked involuntary, before taking a step back, his hands in fists down at his sides. “Bethany,” he said quietly.

I went to hug him, but he took a seat in the chair. “I’m ready,” he said in the same tone of voice. Something was wrong.

I realized his hair was wet. “You’ve already had your shower," I said inanely.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I ran all night,” he said. “I made sure I was back in plenty of time to shower.”

I put my hands on his shoulders and buried my face in his hair, kissing it.

He met my eyes in the mirror, his face pained. “Bethany, don’t,” he said hopelessly.

I felt dread in the pit of my stomach. “Tom what’s wrong?” I whispered.

“Bethany, I can’t do this anymore,” he said achingly, refusing to meet my eyes. “You can’t give me what I need.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” I asked incredulously. “Tom, this is the fourth day. Be reasonable. Don’t do this.”

He spun in the chair and rose so suddenly, that l jumped back, and he stalked towards me, but stopped just outside of arm’s length. "Then you’re got to give me some hope,” he begged. “Please, Bethany.”

I closed the distance between us, running my hands up and down his arms. "Tom, of course there’s hope,” I told him, looking at him — longingly, I suppose. “You know I care for you. I just need more time.” I wrapped my arms around his waist, and pressed my face to his chest. He smelled so good and I breathed him in and basked in the sensation of feeling him warm and firm against me.

Finally, he smiled softly, and took me in his arms, one hand splayed against my back, holding me against him, and the other brushing through my hair, before cupping my face and lifting my lips to his. He kissed me a little desperately, his tongue tangling with mine, and I responded, and soon we were panting, our hands all over each other, until Tom finally found the strength to push me away, holding me by the shoulders. He dropped a final kiss on the top of my hair, then went back and flopped in the chair.

“Do my makeup, Bethany,” he said, looking at me to the mirror with the puppy eyes.

I forced my face into a stern expression. "Tom, don’t ever do that again," I said flatly. "You really scared me.”

He smiled, a gentle, melancholy thing. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, Bethany,” he said.

“I won’t be capable of doing your hair and makeup today without touching you, after this,” l said warningly, and all the while I applied his makeup, I couldn’t keep my fingers from caressing him. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch, which slowed things down considerably, but I still had him made up and in the bathroom changing before Jay arrived. "Tom here?” Jay asked, dropping his bag and sitting in the chair.

“He’s changing,” I said. “You’re late.”

“Five minutes,” he said, chuckling. “Let’s get to it then.”

I was quiet while I worked on him, and eventually he frowned. ”Bethany, is everything all right?”

“Tom almost broke up with me this morning,” I admitted quietly, looking up when Tom came out of the bathroom. I looked over and smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“But it’s OK now, right?” Jay asked, brow raised, and I nodded. “Good,” he said, like he meant it.

I got Jay’s costume and he went into the bathroom to change, and I did Tom’s hair. Once more, I couldn’t stop my fingers from petting him.

“I love it when you do that, Bethany,” he said quietly, meeting my eyes in the mirror. He gave me a half smile. “I love you, Bethany,” he whispered. He rose and kissed me gently, gathering up the things he‘d need for filming today. “See you on set," he said, and left the trailer.

Jay came out of the bathroom, dressed in the costume of the day, and I quickly did his hair. "I almost lost him,” I murmured.

“You have to give him what he wants,” he told me frankly. “What he needs.”

“I can’t,” I whispered. “Not yet, it’s just too soon.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Jay said, shaking his head. We walked together to the set location.

Today we were filming in an abandoned warehouse on the property. It was pretty derelict, and there was scaffolding everywhere, but Danny gave us all a speech about how it was perfectly safe, that things had been cleared by the building inspectors. I set up my station off to the side and prepared to watch the action.

I handled all the touchups as usual, the way I had been, laughing with Jay, and barely managing to stay decent with Tom. I enjoyed a chaste lunch with Tom, speculating when I saw Jay approaching Clarice again.

“What is with them?” I mused out loud, and of course, Tom heard me.

“You should ask Jay,” he said, smirking.

“Maybe I will,” I said playfully.

Later that afternoon, Jay had a few scenes without Tom. I had to stay at my station, and I saw Tom sitting out of the way, having found a chair under some scaffolding. Suddenly, there was a loud, rumbling noise, and when the dust had cleared, Tom was buried under rubble…

I remember seeing the huge pile of debris that was situated where, moments ago, Tom had been sitting. I remember screaming and screaming. I came to, lying on the grass outside the warehouse; Jay was sitting with me.

“You’re OK?” he said, peering down at me anxiously.

“Tom,” I gasped. Oh god, Tom. Was he even alive? Had they managed to extricate him?

“They took him to the hospital. Someone called 911 and they sent an ambulance," he said. “Did you drive in today?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I came in on the Metro.”

“I have a rental car,” he said, getting to his feet and reaching down a hand to me and pulling me to my feet. “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Jay," I said, looking at him gratefully. I followed him to the parking lot, and we got into his little economy rental, and he drove us.

“How long was I out?” I asked.

“Only about five minutes,” he said reassuringly. “Someone said you saw the scaffolding collapse?”

“Yes, I did,” I said, nodding. “I was watching Tom, of course. I saw it come down on top of him. I saw it bury him.”

I couldn’t believe how afraid I was. “Do you know… Is he OK? Is he still…”

“I don’t know how he is,” Jay said seriously. ”I do know he was alive when they put him in the ambulance. But, I’m not going to lie: it looked really bad.”

I let out a sob. What if I lost him? What if I never had a chance to tell him how I feel about him? For of course, in that moment, I knew instantly that I was in love with him, that I would be in love with him until the day I died. I had to tell him. I resolved that he would know. And I couldn’t lose him now.

When we got to the hospital, they wouldn’t tell me anything because I wasn’t family. “But I’m his girlfriend!” I wailed.

“Ma’am, you need to just have a seat over there. If you cause a scene, I will have to ask security to show you out.”

Jay volunteered to stay with me, as filming had been cancelled for the rest of the day. Gratefully, I held his hand, not talking, occasionally wiping at the tears on my face. Eventually, I was looking around the small room and noticed a little, silver-haired woman sitting with a young blond woman. They seemed familiar, and then I remembered that I had seen a photo of them in Tom’s living room: his mother and his sister Emma. They noticed me at about the same time I noticed them.

Emma rose to her feet and came over to us, dropping down into the seat next to me. “You’re Jay Baruchel," she said to him. “I love your work. You’re always so funny.” Her voice was small, she seemed in shock. I understood perfectly.

Then she turned to me. “And you’re her,” she said, smiling faintly. “I don’t know your name, but I know that you are the one Tom has been mooning over this week. He hasn’t said, but I know him pretty well, and I could tell that there was someone special!”

“Hi, Emma, I’m Bethany,” I said. “I’m — well, I guess I’m Tom’s girlfriend. They wouldn’t let me see him because I’m not family. How is he?” I know my voice was desperate, but I had to know.

“They had to do surgery to relieve some pressure on the brain,” she said quietly, “but the function is good, and they expect him to make a complete recovery. They’re settling him into his room now, and once he’s situated they’ll let us see him.”

“Not me,” I said bitterly. "Family only.”

“Rubbish,” she said, smiling a little more. “You’re his girlfriend!”

“I need to see that he’s all right,” I said, trying to keep it together.

Diana, Tom’s mum, and Emma, tried to smuggle me into see Tom, but the nurse wouldn’t allow it. Devastated, I sat in the waiting room, Emma having asked me to stay. She promised to come give me a progress report.

Instead, it was the nurse who actually approached me, an embarrassed look on her face. “Are you Bethany?” she asked me.

“Yes,” I said simply.

“He’s asking for you,” she said placatingly. “Doctor insists that you be allowed in to see him.”

“Thank god,” I said, and letting go of all the tension I’d been holding on to, I slumped for a minute, before following the nurse down a corridor to Tom’s room. She opened the door and gestured me inside.

I approached his bed. He was propped up, his head swathed in bandages. Both his eyes were blacked, and he had bruises, cuts, and contusions over every visible scrap of skin. His eyes were closed, and I just stood there for a moment, thanking all the gods I knew that he was still alive, still with me.

“Tom," I whispered, and his blue eyes opened, and he smiled up at me. I took his hand and squeezed it gently.

“Bethany,” he said, his voice not much more than a croak. “You came.”

“Of course, I came, you silly man,” I said tenderly, reaching out to gently pet his face. “I’ll always come. Tom… don’t ever do anything like this to me again. I’d die if I lost you, Tom.”

Gently, carefully, I leaned forward and kissed him softly on the mouth.

“I love you, Tom,” I said.


	20. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! It’s even, so it must be Tom’s POV! Don’t worry, he’ll be fine! Sorry about any Americanisms; I beg you to forgive me and grant me literary license! Maybe Bethany’s family have rubbed off on her, since they’re all living in the States now…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 20, Tom

After Bethany’s text, I was elated, dancing around my room like a loon. I was excited, because, missing me was good, right? Even if it was reluctantly. I fell asleep, that hope in my heart, and a smile on my lips. Unfortunately, the elation didn’t last. I woke up about an hour later from a horrible nightmare. Of course, in that unhappy way of dreams, I couldn’t remember the details, I only knew that it was about Bethany and that it was bad. I angrily dashed the tears from my eyes, got up, dressed, and went for a run. I needed to exhaust my body; maybe then, my mind would be able to rest.

I ran for hours, adrenaline kicking in and spurring me on. Every time I thought I was done, another vision of Bethany backing away from me slammed into my mind. My therapist says I give too much of myself, that I’m reluctant to take, and this causes me to deplete. Bethany didn’t want to give to me, and right now, she was the only one I wanted anything from.

For the sake of my sanity, I knew I needed to end this. I had to stop torturing us both. I know I’m too impetuous, but the uncertainty was killing me. If Bethany could never love me, as much as it would hurt, I would have to let her go. I would need to move on.

It was still really early. I returned to my flat, showered, and dressed. I got into my car and headed to the set. Bethany was there before me, but Jay hadn’t yet arrived, I could tell.

Bethany stood and faced me, and my wayward body disobeyed my mind, and tried to go to her. I fisted my hands and forced myself to back up. I was not going to approach her. I could do this.

“Bethany,” I said quietly.

I think she wanted hug me, but I quickly sat down in the makeup chair. “I’m ready,” I said, feeling cold inside.

“You’ve already had your shower," she said, surprised.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I ran all night,” I told her. “I made sure I was back in plenty of time to shower.”

I watched her in the mirror as she put her hands on my shoulders and stuck her nose in my hair, and I think she was kissing me there.

She met my eyes in the mirror, and I said, “Bethany, don’t.”

I could tell that I was upsetting her, and I’ll be honest, I felt a certain satisfaction, for once not being the only one. “Tom what’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Bethany, I can’t do this anymore,” I said, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. “You can’t give me what I need.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” she asked me, sounding devastated. “Tom, this is the fourth day. Be reasonable. Don’t do this.”

I spun the chair around and stood up fast, scaring her, I think, because she jumped back, and I moved towards her, but I stopped before I could hug her to me. "Then you’ve got to give me some hope,” I pleaded. “Please, Bethany.”

She came close to me, running her hands up and down my arms, and I shivered at her touch. "Tom, of course there’s hope,” she said, looking at me longingly, and my heart sped up. I remembered this now. The nightmare had made me forget, but in the light of day, I knew I was being hasty and stupid. And she told me so, “You know I care for you. I just need more time.” She grabbed me around my waist, and buried her face against my chest. Her hair tickled my nose, and I closed my eyes and drank in the sensation of her holding me, for just a moment.

Finally, grinning, I put my arms around her, one hand against her back, holding her to me, and the other tangling in her hair, before cupping her face and kissing her. I felt so stupid, I kissed her insistently, our tongues meshing, and she kissed me back, and soon we were both hot for it, panting, our hands all over each other, until I finally found the strength to push her away, holding her by the shoulders. I dropped a final kiss on the top of her head, then I went back and sat in the chair. Stupid. Bottom line: she was right. It was too soon for this type of desperation. It was only a dream, that I didn’t even remember, and I had drastically over-reacted.

“Do my makeup, Bethany,” I said, looking at her in the mirror with an apologetic expression.

She scowled at me. "Tom, don’t ever do that again," she said harshly. "You really scared me.”

Really? Then there really was hope, and I smiled a wistful smile. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, Bethany,” I couldn’t help saying.

“I won’t be capable of doing your hair and makeup today without touching you, after this,” she said, sounding cranky, and true to her word, she couldn’t seem couldn’t keep her hands off of me. I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch, loving the feel of her caressing me. But all too soon, I was done, and she was handing me my costume and I was in the bathroom changing. Jay was in the chair when I came out, saying, “But it’s OK now, right?” with a raised brow, and she nodded.

“Good,” he said, like he meant it, and I wondered what they were talking about, and conceitedly thought it might be about me!

Bethany got Jay’s costume and he went into the bathroom to change, and she did my hair, still taking every opportunity to caress me.

“I love it when you do that, Bethany,” I told her softly, meeting her eyes in the mirror. I couldn’t help smiling at her. “I love you, Bethany,” I whispered. I got up and kissed her, then got my gear. “See you on set," I said, and left.

Today we were filming indoors, in an abandoned warehouse that was on the property. I actually thought it looked a little unstable, but Danny assured us all that it was perfectly safe, that things had been cleared by the building inspectors. Bethany arrived with Jay, and he joined me, while Bethany set up her station off to the side.

We went through the same routine for touchups as we had been doing. Jay and Bethany were becoming good friends, laughing and joking together. I didn’t want to hover or intrude, so I always waited before she was done with him before I approached her, my jealousy having cured itself. I was amused and elated that she really was having trouble keeping her hands off me, and I wondered if there might be another porta-loo in our future, but we managed to hold it together through lunch, and I was so happy to be able to spend some down time with her. I bit my lip when she noticed Jay approaching Clarice again.

“What is with them?” she wondered out loud.

“You should ask Jay,” I said, with a silly smile, because, of course, that was not my secret to tell!

“Maybe I will,” she said, with her own silly smile. I wished she would. Keeping secrets has never been easy for me — I just get so excited.

Later that afternoon, Jay had a few scenes without me, so I found a place out of the way where someone had actually set up a chair. I sat, happy for a little off time, watching Bethany where she had set up her station, a little ways away from me. We were flirting with each other over the distance, smiling and waving. She was so enthusiastic and spunky — how could I help but love her?

Suddenly, I heard a horrendous, rending sound, and then there was pain, and then there was blackness…

Pain. Everywhere. Splitting, my skull felt like someone had cracked it to make omelets. But I felt muzzy. It’s possible that I have a little bit of a drinking problem, but I didn’t feel drunk, but I wasn’t sober, either. I didn’t know where I was. And I couldn’t open my eyes. I tried; failed. Tried again; failed. The third time, they opened a little, so I kept trying. Eventually someone noticed, and then someone took my hand. I was lying in bed, and someone was with me, but it wasn’t Bethany. I felt a hand on my forehead, and I finally managed to open my eyes all the way.

“Mum,” I managed to whisper. “Wha…?”

“Shhh, Tom,” my mum said, squeezing my hand gently. “Don’t try to talk. You’re in the hospital. There was an accident on set. Some scaffolding fell on you.”

“Tom, do you remember anything about it?” Oh, Emma was here, too.

I remembered the horrible screeching sound, the intense pain. I remembered watching Bethany. She hadn’t been that far away from me.

“Where’s Bethany? Is she all right? I think she was far enough away that nothing landed on her. She wasn’t hurt, was she?” I didn’t have much voice, but I needed to know that Bethany was OK.

Emma shook her head. “She’s OK, Tom. She’s out in the waiting room. The nurses are being absolute beasts about her,” she said. "We tried to bring her in, but the nurses won’t let her because she’s not family.”

That didn’t work for me. I needed Bethany. I said so, as loudly as I could. I tried to get up, to go to her, and some sort of monitor started some high-pitched beeping, and a couple of nurses came running in to my room.

“Mr. Hiddleston, you can’t get up!” one of them chided me. “You’ve had a head injury, and there’s a contusion on your brain. They’ve put a stent in for drainage, and if you’re lucky, they’ll let you go home on Saturday. We’ll get you up to walk around later tonight, maybe, but for now, you’re still under the influence of the anesthesia, and you need to stay down.”

“But I want Bethany,” I said, in my croaky, broken voice. “My sister says you won’t let her come in, but I need to see her.”

The other nurse came over to the first one and whispered something to her, and the first one turned red and looked at me apologetically. “I’ll go get her right away,” she said, and left my room.

I closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted. At least Bethany had not been hurt. And, apparently she was here.

“Tom,“ someone whispered, and I managed to get my eyes opened, and it was her. I smiled at her, hovering over me, taller than me, and I had to look up, for a change. She took my hand and squeezed it gently.

“Bethany,” I said, still croaking. “You came.”

“Of course, I came, you silly man,” she said swiftly, reaching out to stroke my face. It hurt a little, but I was so grateful for her touch. “I’ll always come. Tom…" she said. “Don’t ever do anything like this to me again. I’d die if I lost you, Tom.” And she was crying, and my heart ached for having caused her unhappiness.

Gingerly, she bent forward and kissed me softly on the mouth, and the look she gave me pierced me through. And then, she spoke again.

“I love you, Tom,” she said.


	21. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about this chapter; I hope it’s OK. I really love writing this story, so thank you for reading it!

Chapter 21, Bethany

I woke the next morning, seated in a chair next to Tom’s hospital bed. Emma had eventually taken Diana home, but I had refused to leave Tom, and after the nurses’ initial refusal to let me in to see him, they were disinclined to ask me to leave. Tom was glad to have me there, and we had watched and made fun of reality telly, talked and gotten know more about each other, and generally just reveled in our newly-shared love for each other. Tom behaved as if he and I were a unit, a couple, and although the concept was really new for me, having almost lost him was a huge wake-up call for me, and I wasn’t going to argue with him.

The doctor had been in to see us in the late afternoon on the day before, and although I had offered to leave the room, Tom had gripped my fingers with surprising strength, refusing to let me go. The doctor was shaking his head and declaring Tom a miracle patient. The swelling on his brain had totally subsided, and the doctor was sure that he would be fine to go home Saturday.

The next morning, Friday morning, I woke with my head pillowed on Tom’s lap, his hand in my hair, and something hard poking me in the face. Raising my head, I looked into Tom’s blue eyes, his expression an equal mixture of amusement and embarrassment.

“Sorry about that,” he said, his voice almost back to normal.

I laughed softly, stroking him through the blanket. ”Are you feeling better today, then, Tom?” I asked him teasingly, with a brow raised. “If you’re capable of this kind of a reaction…”

“I do feel a lot better this morning,” Tom said. “My headache is almost gone.”

“I’m so glad," l said, standing up to kiss him. His lips clung to mine and I opened for him and our tongues explored each other.

Sitting back down, I slipped my hand under the covers, finding Tom’s erection easily, as he was only wearing a short hospital gown. I stoked him slowly. “Can I take care of this for you?” I asked him, with a sultry look.

“Bethany,” he moaned, resting his head back against his pillows. “I don’t have the strength to fight you off, if you are planning on having your wicked way with me!”

I pulled the blanket back, and got on my knees on the chair, and bending over, I took his hard cock in my hand. I sucked on the sensitive head, before taking him fully in my mouth, and Tom hissed. Relaxing my throat, I took as much of him as I could, wrapping my hand around the base, I bobbed up and down and Tom tangled his hand in my hair.

“Fuck, I love you, Bethany,” he gasped, as I continued to pleasure him with my mouth and hand.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Tom flipped the blanket over me as the nurse bustled in. I froze, as Tom said, in a strained voice, “Can you maybe give us fifteen minutes, yeah? Come back then?”

“Um, yes, I can do that,” I heard the nurse say, sounding embarrassed, and then l heard the door shut again.

Tom chuckled, and I did too, as well as I could with my mouth full of cock. “You’ve got fifteen minutes," Tom said, laughter still threading through his voice. “Go!”

I sucked hard, speeding up my movements, and Tom’s moans escalated, until finally, he grabbed my hair, holding my face still, and came down my throat. I swallowed it all, then slipped out from under the covers, licking my lips.

“Come kiss me, Bethany,” Tom whispered, his face flushed, eyes glittering, and I did, tangling our tongues. He cupped my face in both his hands, smoothing his thumbs over my cheeks. “That was amazing! And now, I owe you an orgasm,” he said softly.

“I can take a rain check," I said, kissing him softly and running my hand through his hair. "But as soon as you’re better, you can make it up to me, my beautiful man.”

A few minutes later, the nurse was back, taking Tom’s vitals, her cheeks pink, unable to look me in the eye. “Doctor will be in to talk to you sometime this afternoon," she said briskly. “And we will want to get you up and walking, as well.”

“Bethany can help with that,” Tom murmured, and squeezed my hand.

And I did. We got Tom up every hour, shuffling the halls, wheeling his I.V. stand. The doc came in and said that Tom was doing a lot better than expectations would have warranted. The stent would be removed later that afternoon, and if the swelling stayed down, Tom would get to go home the next day. I stayed in his room when they came and took him away to do the procedure.

Emma and Diana came to visit, and I got to meet Luke, when he came to see Tom as well. “I guess after this, the movie won’t be a secret any more. Damn. It’s been so nice,” Tom told him.

“Actually, so far we’re still flying under the radar,” Luke said. “I won’t release a statement unless I need to. I’m not sure how, but so far, no one has found out about this.”

Tom sighed in relief. “Thanks, Luke,” he said gratefully. “I’ll have to make a donation to this hospital. It’s amazing that they’ve chosen to keep this private.”

“But, I suppose this spoils our date tomorrow night,” Luke said, sounding genuinely disappointed. "Tom won’t be up to going out.”

“While its true l probably shouldn’t be going out, l don’t see while everyone can’t just come to my place,” Tom said. "We can order pizza and watch videos. We all like to do that. And then we can play games or talk.”

Luke looked skeptical, but I recognized the stubborn look on Tom’s face. He wasn’t going to give it up, and it would be less stressful to him to just let him have his way, and I said so.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Luke said, “I can come over tomorrow night. Seven, right?"

“Yes, seven,” Tom said firmly.

That night, Tom insisted I climb into the bed with him. “There’s plenty of room,” he said, “and l don’t want you spending another night sitting up in a chair. And I am too selfish to want to let you go home, and I want to hold you.”

“And you know I’m not going to go home even if you insist,” l said.

“I know,” Tom said meekly. “And I want you here with me anyway.”

I slept much better that night, holding him in my arms, knowing he was OK.

The next morning, Saturday morning, Tom was released, and we got ready to take him home. I hadn’t left the hospital since Jay had brought me here, on the day of Tom’s accident, so I called on Lance.

“Can you come pick up Tom and I at the hospital and take us to Tom’s house?” I asked, because, of course I would be staying with Tom. There was no way I was going to leave him on his own.

“Sure, Bethany,” Lance said. I had been in contact with him to tell him about Tom’s accident, and then about Tom’s insistence that we still have our date, only at his, Tom’s, house.

So Lance arrived, and we bundled Tom in Lance’s car and he took us to Tom’s. I got Tom settled on his couch, and then he and I watched videos all afternoon. At one point Tom took a nap, and I discovered that one of my favorite things to do is to watch him sleep.

I was so lucky. Tom hadn’t been badly hurt, he wasn’t going to be taken from me. As I catered to his every whim, he smirked up at me, “You’d pretty much do anything I asked right now, wouldn’t you?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said warily, “within reason, yeah, I probably would. What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like to ask you something,” he said wistfully, "but I’m not going to, because your heart, which is still reeling from my being hurt, would answer yes, but your reasonable head, would be protesting most strenuously. I promise, I won’t take advantage of you that way.”

I think I knew what he was talking about, and he was right. Still shaky from having almost lost him, he could have gotten me to agree to almost anything, but l really wasn’t ready for what I suspected he had in mind!

We talked a little bit about the film. Production had been halted for the week, but we were scheduled to resume again on Monday. Obviously, Tom was in no condition to be on set, so we would film around him, scenes his character wasn’t in, until he was recovered enough to come back to the set. The doctor thought at least a week, maybe more. I knew I would be able to cover a lot of his injuries with makeup once he did come back, and that I could arrange his hair so that the patch they’d had to shave could be covered up. Once again, I thought how lucky it was that I had discovered in time how much I love him, and that he hadn’t been too badly hurt.

At ten minutes to seven, Luke knocked and came in, carrying a couple of pizza boxes. He seemed restrained, a little sad, and l couldn’t help thinking that meeting Lance would be a good thing for him! Five minutes later, Lance knocked on the door, and I got up to let him in, hugging him. He’d brought a six-pack of Guinness, and he followed me into the kitchen so that we could put it into the fridge. I turned to face him.

“Well, are you ready?" I asked him.

He squared his shoulders and swallowed hard. “As ready as I’ll ever be!" he said.

“Come on, then,” l said, taking his hand and leading him into the living room. Luke and Tom were sitting, quietly talking, and when Lance and I came into the room, Luke got to his feet. Lance stood slightly behind me, looking totally gobsmacked. I pulled him forward.

“Luke,” Tom said, from his position on the couch, “this is my girlfriend Bethany, who you met in the hospital, of course, and her best friend Lance.”

“Hey, Luke,” I said. “Lance here is a huge fan of yours.” Poor Lance, he did seem totally smitten.

“Bethany,” Luke greeted me. Then he turned to Lance, taking his hand. “Hi there, Lance,” he said quietly, eyeing Lance up and down. “You are totally bulked up and built, aren’t you?”

Lance blushed. “I work out, yeah,” he said.

“I’m hungry,” Tom said, breaking the tension. “Someone bring me pizza. And, you’ll all have to drink a beer for me. Doc says l can’t with my pain meds. And someone put in a video!”

“Yes, sir! Loki marathon!” Lance shouted, and we all laughed. In the end, that’s exactly what we did, and it couldn’t have been a much more enjoyable evening.


	22. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much I enjoy writing Tom’s POV? Oh, but he’s fun to write!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I’ve managed to give he and Bethany distinct, separate voices; I think I have. 
> 
> Thank you to those of you who comment on the story! I love knowing if you like it! (if you don’t just don’t read it…)

Chapter 22, Tom

At least when I woke the next morning, I knew where I was. I came awake gradually, the memories flowing over me: the accident, the pain, the disorientation, the panic over whether or not Bethany had been hurt.

And then, Bethany kissing me, and saying those words I’d been longing to hear.

“I love you, Tom,” she’d said.

It took me nearly being killed for her to realize it. Or to admit it.

But, that’s not very nice of me, is it?

Emma and mum stayed quite a while, but eventually they went home, but my Bethany flat out refused to leave me, bless her, and after the nurses’ initial refusal to let her in to see me, they didn’t say a word about her leaving. I didn’t want her to go, ever, so we had a pleasant evening, watching silly reality shows on the telly, and we talked and laughed, a lot, and I totally basked in the knowledge that she loves me. Bethany loves me. Now that she’s realized it, stubborn girl, I wasn’t going to let her forget it, and I didn’t intend to let her go. Ever.

The doctor had been in to see us late that afternoon, and although Bethany had offered to leave the room, I held onto her for dear life, refusing to let her go. We were a couple now, and anything that could be said to me, should be said to her as well. The doctor was shaking his head and saying that I was a miracle patient. The swelling on my brain had totally subsided, and he was sure that I would be able to go home on Saturday.

So, the next morning, Friday morning, I woke with my memories intact. There was a heavy weight resting across my thighs, and my hand was resting on something soft. Ah, it was Bethany, sleeping in a chair next to my bed; she was probably going to be so stiff when she woke. Her head was the weight on my lap, and my hand was tangled in her hair, and as soon as I realized it, I had a fucking boner, and it poked her in the face. Raising her head, she looked at me, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or to be mortified.

“Sorry about that,” I said, and I was glad that my voice no longer sounded so croaky.

Bethany laughed, stroking me through the blanket. "Are you feeling better today, then, Tom?” she asked me, with a brow raised. “If you’re capable of this kind of a reaction…”

“I do feel a lot better this morning,” I said truthfully. “My headache is almost gone.” Thank goodness!

“I’m so glad," she told me, standing up and kissing me. It felt so wonderful to have her kiss me, and I let her drive; I opened my mouth for her and our tongues tangled.

She sat back down and slipped her hand under the blanket, finding my erect cock, which wasn’t exactly hiding under the short hospital gown that was all I was wearing. She stroked me slowly. Fuck. “Can I take care of this for you?” she asked me, with a lusty look on her face.

What was I supposed to say to that?

“Bethany,” I moaned, collapsing back against the pillows. “I don’t have the strength to fight you off, if you are planning on having your wicked way with me!”

She pulled the blanket back, and got on her knees on the chair, and bending over, she took my erection in her hand, and then she sucked on just the head, before taking me fully in her mouth, and I couldn’t help it, I hissed. Relaxing her throat, she managed to take most of me, which isn’t easy, and, wrapping her hand around the base, she started moving up and down and I gently grabbed a handful of her hair.

“Fuck, I love you, Bethany,” I managed to get out, as she continued to pleasure me with her mouth and hand.

I heard, as well as saw, when the door opened, and I managed to flip the blanket over her just in time as the nurse bustled in. Bethany went still, and I said to the nurse, probably sounding a little strained, “Can you maybe give us fifteen minutes, yeah? Come back then?”

Coitus interruptus. I’ve heard you can kill a man that way.

“Um, yes, I can do that,” the nurse said, obviously embarrassed, her face red. And yet, from the look of her, I’m guessing she had seen something like this before, as she immediately went back out again, shutting the door.

I chuckled, and Bethany did too, her voice muffled by my cock. “You’ve got fifteen minutes," I said, still laughing. “Go!”

She sucked hard, and started moving faster and I got closer and closer, my orgasm approaching like a freight train, until finally, I grabbed her hair, holding her face still, and came down her throat. She swallowed it all, and it was hotter than fuck, then she slipped out from under the covers, licking her lips. Holy hell.

“Come kiss me, Bethany,” I whispered, dazed, my face hot, and she did, tangling our tongues again. I cupped her face in both of my hands, smoothing my thumbs over her cheeks. “That was amazing! And now, I owe you an orgasm.” I told her quietly, in awe.

“I can take a rain check," she said, kissing me gently and running her hand through my hair. "But as soon as you’re better, you can make it up to me, my beautiful man.” I hoped that it wouldn’t take long. Silently, I made her a promise.

A few minutes later, the nurse was back to take my vitals, still blushing, carefully looking anywhere but at Bethany. “Doctor will be in to talk to you sometime this afternoon,“ she said briskly. “And we will want to get you up and walking, as well.”

“Bethany can help with that,” I said softly, squeezing her hand.

Well, the woman was a slave driver! She forced me up every hour, and I shuffled down the halls, wheeling my I.V. stand like it was my pet dog. My doctor came in and said that I was doing a lot better than he would ever have expected. The stent would be removed later that afternoon, and if the swelling stayed down, I could go home the next day. When they came and took me away to do the procedure, Bethany stayed in my room and was waiting for me when I got back.

Emma brought mum for a visit, and then Luke came as well. “I guess after this, the movie won’t be a secret any more. Damn. It’s been so nice,” I told him.

“Actually, so far we’re still flying under the radar,” Luke said. “I won’t release a statement unless I need to. I’m not sure how, but so far, no one has found out about this.”

Thank goodness, and what a miracle. “Thanks, Luke,” I said. “I’ll have to make a donation to this hospital. It’s amazing that they’ve chosen to keep this private.”

“But, I suppose this spoils our date tomorrow night,” Luke said to Bethany, honestly sounding upset about it. What a guy! "Tom won’t be up to going out.”

Now, wait a minute. I wasn’t going to let a little accident wreck our date. I felt surprisingly good, considering what had happened to me. “While its true l probably shouldn’t be going out, l don’t see why everyone can’t just come to my place,” I said. "We can order pizza and watch videos. We all like to do that. And then we can play games, or talk.”

Luke looked skeptical, but I was having none of it. There was no reason to cancel our date. A quiet night in with friends, eating pizza and watching videos and talking. It would be nice.

“Tom’s not going to give this up," Bethany said, and I saw a look pass between her and Luke. What? “It will be a lot less stressful for him to just let him have his way.”

Damn. For only knowing each other a short time, she already seemed to know me pretty well.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Luke said, “I can come over tomorrow night. Seven, right?"

“Yes, seven,” I said certainly.

That night, I asked Bethany to sleep in the hospital bed with me. “There’s plenty of room,” I told her, “and l don’t want you spending another night sitting up in a chair. And I am too selfish to want to let you go home, and I want to hold you.”

“And you know I’m not going to go home even if you insist,” she said. Yes. I knew she wouldn’t leave me. I’d have felt the same, should our positions have been reversed.

“I know,” I said. “And I want you here with me anyway.”

I slept much better that night, with her holding me in her arms. Just having her near me made my head ache less.

The next morning, Saturday morning, they released me, and Bethany helped me pack up the few things I had with me. My clothes had been ruined, so Luke had brought me some from my flat, to go home in. Bethany hadn’t left the hospital since she’d gotten here, on the day of my accident, and she hadn’t driven herself. So, as neither of us had a car here, she called Lance.

“Can you come pick up Tom and I at the hospital and take us to Tom’s house?” I heard her ask him. She was insisting that she would be staying with me, there was no way she was going to leave me on my own, and I was more than OK with that.

I didn’t hear what he said on his end, but I gathered that he was on his way to pick us up.

So Lance arrived, and they packed me into Lance’s car and he took us to my flat. Bethany helped me to get settled on the couch, and then she and I watched videos all afternoon. At one point I dozed off, and the feeling of having her there when I woke up was truly wonderful.

I was so in love with her. I have always known and believed, that we all really have only one life to live. I don’t want to get to the end of my days, and find that I didn’t do everything that I wanted to do. I have always truly loved and been grateful for, my career. But, as a choice, I have missed out on some things I still really want to do. I’m almost in my mid-thirties, and the sad fact is, l am truly running out of time to do some of the things I want to in life. Most of my friends have children, and it’s something I’ve always wanted, as well. But acting — whether live theater, television, or film — is really hard on relationships. When I’ve dated an actress or model, their career was as important to them as mine was to me, and they weren’t ready for the commitment. When I’ve dated a `regular´ girl, something always happened to spoil it: my vindictive, crazy fans, the paparazzi, the intense scrutiny, the long months away spent filming on location, the endless rehearsals, the hectic performance schedule. I had made that sacrifice, and put having a relationship on hold.

But now, I’ve met Bethany. And I love her, and I need her, and I don’t care that it’s only been five days: I know my feelings are genuine, and that they aren’t going to change, and I don’t see why we should waste time being “reasonable,” just because tradition says we should wait to be sure. I didn’t need to wait; I was sure. I wanted to marry Bethany and have a bunch of babies with her. But I knew that if I told her that, and asked her to marry me, that she would run far and fast.

But as she waited on me hand and foot, anticipating my every need, I couldn’t help asking, “You’d pretty much do anything I asked right now, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” she said, sounding suspicious, “within reason, yeah, I probably would. What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like to ask you something,” I said, aware that I sounded like a love-sick fool. Apt, since I am one, "but I’m not going to, because your heart, which is still reeling from my being hurt, would answer yes, but your reasonable head, would be protesting most strenuously. I promise, I won’t take advantage of you that way.” Even though I really, really wanted to. I needed her to be my wife. I don’t know for sure if she understood what I wasn’t saying, but she‘s a really smart girl, and I think she probably got it plenty.

We talked a little bit about the film. Production had been halted for the week, but they were scheduled to resume again on Monday. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to be on set for a while, so Bethany told me that they would be filming around me, scenes my character wasn’t in, until I was recovered enough to come back to the set. I, of course, was hoping for as little recovery time as possible. My doctor thought at least a week, maybe more. Bethany assured me that she would be able to cover a lot of my cuts and bruises with makeup once I did come back, and that she would be able to arrange my hair so that the patch they’d had to shave could be covered up. Obviously, I was really lucky that I hadn’t been too badly hurt.

At ten minutes to seven, Luke knocked and came in, carrying a couple of pizza boxes. He seemed restrained, a little sad, the way he’d been since his break up. I sincerely hoped that that meeting Lance would be a good thing for him, and that they would hit it off. Five minutes later, Lance knocked on the door, and Bethany got up to let him in, hugging him. He’d brought a six-pack of Guinness, and he followed her into the kitchen so that they could put it into the fridge. After a few minutes, during which I could hear their murmured voices, they both came into the living room.

Luke and I were sitting, quietly talking, and when Lance and Bethany came into the room, Luke, ever the gentleman, got to his feet. Lance stood slightly behind Bethany, looking totally like a deer in the headlights. Bethany pulled him forward.

“Luke,” I piped up, from my position on the couch, “this is my girlfriend Bethany, who you met in the hospital, of course, and her best friend Lance.”

“Hey, Luke,” Bethany said. “Lance here is a huge fan of yours.” Poor Lance, he did seem totally smitten.

“Bethany,” Luke greeted her. Then he turned to Lance, taking his hand. “Hi there, Lance,” he said quietly, eyeing Lance up and down. “You are totally bulked up and built, aren’t you?”

Lance blushed. “I work out, yeah,” he said. Oh yes, I was pretty sure that they were going to get along really great indeed. But someone needed to move things forward.

“I’m hungry,” I said, to break the tension. “Someone bring me pizza. And, you’ll all have to drink a beer for me. Doc says l can’t with my pain meds. And someone put in a video!”

“Yes, sir! Loki marathon!” Lance shouted, and we all laughed.

And so, that’s what we did, and I think our double date over pizza, beer, and videos, privately, quietly, at my home, where I’m so comfortable, turned out more fun and a lot better than if we’d actually gone out.


	23. Bethany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am loving this story! I have an interlude chapter with Lance and Luke planned for Chapter 25, and Chapter 26 might be Jay and Clarice, just so that I can keep Tom even and Bethany odd — because that just seems to fit them ehehehehe! Thank you all for reading this lengthy tale! I love you all! Enjoy!

Chapter 23, Bethany

The four of us really did have a marvelous time Saturday night. Lance and Luke genuinely did seem to hit it off; I know for a fact that Lance was as impressed by Luke as he had always thought he would be, because he told me so; and Tom said that Luke told him that he felt that being with Lance was almost therapeutic, in a way. We also found out later, that as they walked out together, they had made another date for the following Friday, and Lance also told me later that the next day, the text messages were flying fast and furious.

So, Saturday night, as I closed the door behind the two of them, I let out a sigh of contentment. Tom was still on the couch, trying so hard not to drop off to sleep, it was adorable. I stood looking at him, my hands on my hips. I couldn’t believe that we’d only known each other six days, it really did seem so much longer. I love him so much, and that night, I was overwhelmed with it. I’m sure he could see it on my face, but I had denied him for so long, I didn’t hesitate to tell him now.

I went to him, and, bending over and cupping his face in both of my hands, I kissed him gently. His eyes closed and he hummed quietly. "Tom, let’s get you to bed,” l said softly. And when he opened his eyes and looked at me, I said, my voice tinged with — wonder, I suppose, “Tom, I love you. So much. More than I ought to after only six days.”

His smile was huge, and he said, “I love you, too, Bethany. Crazy, isn’t it?”

“It really seems like we’ve known each other for forever. Certainly, it seems like we’ve been through so much together all ready, and surely, it’s been longer than six days!” I shook my head.

He just smiled, a little smugly, I thought, and stood up. “Tonight was really fun," he said, yawning, “but quite honestly, I am exhausted. I look forward to just holding you while we sleep.”

I knew that with his injuries, and the evening we’d had, it was silly to expect any more of him, but selfishly, I was disappointed. I wanted him, and we were finally alone, but one look at his dear, weary face, and I quashed that greedy thought.

I followed him closely through the tiny kitchen, bracing myself to catch him should he lose his balance and stumble, but he made it through without incident, and l continued to follow him down the hall to his bedroom.

“Are you OK with me just sleeping in my boxers?” he asked me with a raised brow.

“Don’t be silly, Tom, of course it’s OK!” I said, shaking my head.

I hadn’t been home to my place since the day of Tom’s accident, but Lance had brought me a suitcase with all the essentials, so I kept an eye on Tom while he undressed (because he was still unsteady, of course!), all the while, undressing myself, putting on my sleep shorts and a tee shirt that I’d stolen from Tom the last time I’d been here. He looked at me, his brows raised, but didn’t say anything.

“Do you need anything before you go to bed?” I asked him. “Your pills, a glass of water…?”

“I only need you,” he said, holding his arms out towards me.

“You’ve got me, Tom,” l said softly, smiling at him, and I got into bed with him.

“You’ve been holding me,” he said quietly, “but tonight, I want to hold you.”

“As long as it doesn’t hurt you,” I said, kissing him softly. I opened my mouth when I felt his tongue on my lips, and he deepened the kiss. He moaned a little, then pulled away.

“Dammit anyway,” he said, frustrated. “I want you, but I’m way too tired to do anything about it.”

“It’s OK, Tom,” I said, running my hand through his hair. “I’m tired, too. Let’s just sleep.”

He laid on his back and I pillowed my head on his bare chest, running my fingers through the little patch of hair at the base of his throat. “I love you, Tom,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to his chest. “I don’t know why it was so hard for me to admit it to myself. I love you, so much.”

“I love you, too, Beth—.” The last part of my name was lost in his soft snore. My Tom was asleep.

***

I was having the most delicious dream. Tom was going down on me, his head between my thighs. He was teasing me though, licking and sucking all around my opening, but not touching my clit, and I was starting to squirm.

“Tom,” I moaned in protest, and grabbed a handful of his hair. When he yelped, I realized that I was actually awake and that it wasn’t a dream. I flipped the covers back, and even though it was dark, I could see the gleam of his eyes as he watched me as he pleasured me.

“Sorry, honey,” I murmured. “I thought I was dreaming. Did I hurt your head?”

“Mmmm,” he said, shaking his head a little, closing his eyes and teasing me again. He started fucking me with his tongue, and I fisted my hands in the sheets to prevent myself from pulling his hair to force his mouth where I wanted it. The man still had head wounds, for goodness’ sake!

“Fuck, Tom, I’m so close,” I moaned. "Make me come.” Those words seemed to have the desired effect, because he inserted two fingers into my opening, finding my g-spot right away, and when he started laving my clit I came hard, bucking against his mouth. He knew just how to spin it out so that it went on and on. “Shit, you’re good at that,” I said breathlessly.

He scooted back up in the bed, wiping his mouth, and grinning at me in the dark. I wished l could see his face better, but I’m sure he was giving me the puppy eyes when he said, “I’m an invalid, and I’ve already stressed myself tonight. Would you ride me, Bethany?”

He had already removed his boxers (how he got my sleep shorts off without waking me, I don’t know!), and I moved to straddle him, and positioning his cock at my opening, I slowly sank down on him until he was fully sheathed inside of me.

I held still for a moment. It had been a couple of days since I’d had him this way, and it felt so wonderful. He sighed deeply as well, and finally he cupped my arse in his hands. “I need you to move, Bethany,” he bit out, “Please.”

Slowly, I started moving up and down on his shaft, tightening my internal muscles around him.

“Oh, Tom,” I moaned, “you feel like heaven.” I angled myself so that the head of his cock nudged my g-spot on each downward movement, and my rhythm stuttered as l got closer to a second climax.

Tom’s breathing was totally haywire, and he had begun bucking his hips up against me. “I need you to go faster, Bethany,” he said, sounding a little desperate.

I sped up my movements, and Tom was gasping at each down thrust. He slipped a hand between us and found my clit. “Oh… ahhh… Bethany… I need… you to… cum… darling… NOW!”

He thrust up into me so hard that it raised me off the bed, and I realized that he was coming. The thought was so arousing that it tipped me over, and my orgasm fueled his, feeding off of each other’s, and he called out my name in a hoarse voice, filling me with his seed.

I collapsed across his chest, careful not to rest my entire weight on him, but I was reluctant to lose the close contact, and rather than pull off of him, I let him gradually soften and slip out of me.

He brushed my hair out of my face and kissed my forehead. “I love you, Bethany,” he said.

“Well, I love you, back, Tom,” I said, kissing his chin.

I curled into his side and we both managed to fall asleep again.

Sunday morning, I woke to find Tom totally draped around me, his face burrowed into my neck. I watched him sleeping, from up close and personal, and I couldn’t help dropping little kisses on his nose, his forehead, his cheeks. I didn’t mean to wake him up, but of course, I did.

“What would you like to do today?” he asked, not opening his eyes.

“I just want to be with you,” I said, and he sighed. “That’s a given!” he said, laughing.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone tomorrow,” I said, frowning. “It’s just going to make me worry all day.”

“I’ll be fine,“ he said patiently. “You can call me on every break to reassure yourself, if you need to, and text me anytime.”

“Oh, I will,” I told him. “Don’t you worry about that. And you’d better answer, too!”

“Yes, dear,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Do you realize we only have one more week of filming here in London before we move to on-location at Cambridge?” I asked, suddenly remembering.

“Damn,” he said, sounding dismayed. “That’s it, then. I have to make a full recovery this week so I can come to Cambridge.”

“The film crew are taking over an entire bed and breakfast," I told him. “We’ll all be sharing rooms. Me with Clarice, you with Jay. It’s sure gonna put a damper on times like these.” I was trying to picture how we could possible work out a way for intimacy on location, but with sharing rooms, I just couldn’t conceive of it.

“You’re sharing with Clarice?” he asked, his brows raised.

“Yes, Clarice, the other HMC tech,” I said. “The one working with Kate and Jennifer. The one who Jay seems to be fascinated with… hmm…”

He smirked. “Yes, well, then I don’t think you have to worry about it, sweetheart. I have a feeling that everything’s gonna work out just fine, you’ll see.”

“You seem to know more about it than you let on, and certainly, I hope you’re right,” I said, grinning. “Because I’ve kinda discovered that I’m addicted to you.”

“Oh, good,” he said, laughing this funny, odd laugh, and he kissed me.


	24. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Tom’s POV!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those of you who continue to inspire me with your words of praise. I love you all!

Chapter 24, Tom

As hoped, our double date with Luke and Lance was a huge success. Lance is a very handsome follow, and I was tired of seeing my mate Luke sad all the time. I figured having a sexy hunk like Lance all over him would be just what he needed. And fortunately, it appeared as if they actually liked each other. Bethany told me that Lance said, that Luke was even better than he was in his imagination, and Luke told me later that they had already made arrangements to go out on a date on their own, just the two of them. Success!

So, Saturday night, Bethany showed Luke and Lance out at the end of the evening; I thought it was a positive sign that they left together. I was was still on the couch where I’d been all night, so tired I almost thought l should just sleep there where I was. But Bethany stood looking lovingly at me, her hands on her hips. She came and bent down to me, cupping my face in both of her hands, and kissed me. I closed my eyes and hummed quietly. I was sorry it had taken my accident for her to see her true feelings for me, but I was glad that she finally had. Now, every time that she looked at me, I could feel the love pouring out of her. She has a big heart, and a large capacity to love, and I was glad to be the one who was on the receiving end.

And right now, I was content to let her take care of me. It had been a long day, and I would never have let on, because I didn’t want to spoil our evening, but I was about at the end of my strength. I was utterly wrung out.

”Tom, let’s get you to bed,” she said softly. I somehow managed to get my eyes to open, and I’m glad I did, because Bethany was feeling romantic, and the look in her eyes right than did more to heal me than anything the doctors had done. Of course, it brought joy to my heart when she said, “Tom, I love you. So much. More than I ought to after only six days.”

I know I must have had a huge, cheesy smile, when I said, “I love you, too, Bethany. Crazy, isn’t it?”

“It really seems like we’ve known each other for forever. Certainly, it seems like we’ve been through so much together all ready, and surely, it’s been longer than six days!” Bethany said, shaking her head.

Honestly, I feel that time is relative, but I know Bethany strives to be the voice of reason. Still, I’m sure my smile looked a little smug, as I got to my feet, yawning, and said, “Tonight was really fun, but quite honestly, I am exhausted. I look forward to just holding you while we sleep.”

I wished it weren’t true. I remembered that I owed Bethany an orgasm, but tonight wasn’t the night. Our evening activities had taken a lot out of me. I was disappointed, but I’m pretty in touch with my body, and I knew better than to push it. It was time to replenish. I needed sleep.

Bethany followed me through the kitchen, watching me like a hawk. I was still a little unsteady on my feet, and I think she was worried I might get dizzy and fall. I wondered if the doctor had asked her to keep an eye on me. I was concussed, after all. She continued to follow me down the hall to my bedroom.

I didn’t want to bother with pajamas, I just wanted bed. “Are you OK with me just sleeping in my boxers?” I asked her, with a raised brow. I liked the idea of more skin contact, but I didn’t tell her that.

“Don’t be silly, Tom, of course it’s OK!” she said, shaking her head at me again.

She hadn’t even been home since my accident; she hadn’t left my side. Fortunately, she and Lance are close enough friends, that when she’d called him and asked if he would bring her a suitcase with all the essentials, Lance had said no problem, and had packed it and brought it to her tonight. She was still keeping an eye on me while I undressed, and I don’t think I’m wrong when I say that, part of it was concern, but I think there was also a good healthy dose of lust in there as well. She busied herself with undressing also, putting on these sexy little shorts, and a tee shirt that looked suspiciously like one of mine. I looked at her speculatively, but didn’t say anything.

“Do you need anything before you go to bed?” she asked me. “Your pills, a glass of water…?”

“I only need you,” I said truthfully, holding out my arms for her.

“You’ve got me, Tom,” she said quietly, smiling at me, and came to bed.

“You’ve been holding me,” I said to her, “but tonight, I want to hold you.” I wanted so much to take care of her. She’d been caring for me, but it was her turn for some cherishing.

“As long as it doesn’t hurt you,” she said, giving me a kiss. For a moment, I couldn’t control the desire I felt, and she opened her mouth when I licked along the seam of her lips, and I deepened the kiss. I bit out a moan, but I forced myself to pull away.

“Dammit anyway,” I said, truly frustrated. “I want you, but I’m way too tired to do anything about it.”

“It’s OK, Tom,” said, running her fingers gently through my hair. “I’m tired, too. Let’s just sleep.”

I laid on my back, and she nestled her head against my chest, running her fingers over my skin, over my pecs and around the base of my throat. “I love you, Tom,” she murmured, kissing my chest. “I don’t know why it was so hard for me to admit it to myself. I love you, so much.”

Oh, I love this girl! I started to tell her, “I love you, too, Beth—” but I don’t remember any more. Romantically, I fell asleep on her in mid-name. Way to go, Hiddleston.

***

I woke a few hours later, greatly refreshed, horny as fuck. I owed Bethany an orgasm, for the divine blow job she’d given me in the hospital, and I was eager to reciprocate in kind. I slipped my boxers off, my cock already hard in anticipation. I stroked it absently a few times, but this wasn’t about me, this was about Bethany. She was deeply asleep, but I know that being awakened in the way in which I planned to awake her, is very pleasant. I would have to get those sexy little shorts off of her, a task that proved to be actually be quite a bit easier than I would have imagined. I slowly moved down, careful to go cautiously, until I was in position, with my head between her thighs. I started tentatively licking and sucking all around her entrance, gently, but held off touching her clit to build the excitement, and even in her sleep, she was starting to squirm.

She must have been dreaming, because she moaned out loud, “Tom,”, and grabbed a handful of my hair. Unfortunately, she hit a sore spot, and I yelped, and I think it was then that she actually woke up. She flipped the covers back, and even though it was dark, I could see her watching me as I pleasured her.

“Sorry, honey,” she said sleepily. “I thought I was dreaming. Did I hurt your head?”

“Mmmm,” I said, my mouth otherwise occupied, shaking my head a little, so she’d know I was fine, closing my eyes and teasing her. I started fucking her with my tongue, and she actually grabbed the sheets, I think to prevent herself from grabbing me to force me where she wanted my mouth. My head was still sore, but I was still sorry to not feel her hands on me, guiding me where it would please her the most.

“Fuck, Tom, I’m so close,” she moaned. ”Make me come.” Fuck yeah, I wanted to make her come. I inserted two fingers into her opening, finding her g-spot instantly and finger fucking her, so that when I sucked on her clit, she came hard, bucking against my mouth. I used all the tricks I know to prolong her pleasure, and I must have done something right because, “Shit, you’re good at that,” she told me, panting.

I rose back up in the bed, wiping my mouth, and smiling at my love in the dark. I wished l could see her face better, but I was sure she would take care of me, and probably wouldn’t mind doing most of the work, as I was only partially joking when I said, “I’m an invalid, and I’ve already stressed myself tonight. Would you ride me, Bethany?”

I was fully ready, my cock hard, hot, and throbbing. Bethany moved to straddle me, and positioning my cock at her opening, she slowly sank down on me until I was fully sheathed inside of her.

I held still for a moment. It had been a couple of days since we’d actually made love like this, and it felt so wonderful. We both sighed, and finally I grabbed her arse in both of my hands. It was becoming too much. “I need you to move, Bethany,” I managed to get out, “Please.”

Slowly, she started moving up and down on me, tightening her internal muscles around my cock and squeezing it deliciously.

“Oh, Tom,” she moaned, “you feel like heaven.” So did she! She rotated and grinded on me, and I could tell she was using me to pleasure herself, and l tell you, that is one of the most erotic things l have ever experienced. But eventually, her rhythm stuttered as she got closer to a second climax.

My breathing was totally out of control, and I couldn’t keep myself from bucking my hips up against her. I needed more. “I need you to go faster, Bethany,” I said, feeling a little desperate.

She sped up her movements, and I gasping at each down thrust. I still had enough conscious thought to slip a hand between us and find her clit. I wanted to be a gentleman and make sure I had satisfied her, before coming myself, but I knew it was going to be close. “Oh… ahhh… Bethany… I need… you to… cum… darling… NOW!”

I couldn’t help thrusting up into her, so hard that it raised her off the bed, and she almost tipped over, but I was coming, and it was intense. Bethany reached hers soon after, and I could feel her spasms squeezing me, and our orgasms fueled each other’s, and I called out her name in a hoarse voice, filling her with my seed. It was primal.

She collapsed across my chest, and I think she was being extra careful not to put too much weight on me, but she seemed reluctant to lose the intimacy of our closeness, and rather than pull off of me, she let me gradually soften until I slipped out of her.

I brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Bethany,” I said.

“Well, I love you, back, Tom,” she said, kissing my chin.

She curled up next to me and we both managed to fall asleep again.

Sunday morning, I woke to her dropping little kisses on my nose, my forehead, my cheeks. I was totally wrapped around her, my face pressed against her neck. I don’t think she meant to wake me up, but of course, I did.

“What would you like to do today?” I asked her with my eyes still closed.

“I just want to be with you,” she said, and I sighed. Why do woman do that? I really did want to know what else! “That’s a given!” I said, laughing at her.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone tomorrow,” she said, frowning. “It’s just going to make me worry all day.”

I knew she’d worry, but honestly, I was doing so much better. “I’ll be fine,“ I told her patiently. “You can call me on every break to reassure yourself, if you need to, and text me anytime.”

“Oh, I will,” she assured me. “Don’t you worry about that. And you’d better answer, too!”

“Yes, dear,” I said, rolling my eyes. Honestly!

“Do you realize we only have one more week of filming here in London before we move to on-location at Cambridge?” she asked, like maybe she’d forgotten. I know I had.

“Damn,” I said, dismayed. “That’s it, then. I have to make a full recovery this week so I can come to Cambridge.”

“The film crew are taking over an entire bed and breakfast," she said. “We’ll all be sharing rooms. Me with Clarice, you with Jay. It’s sure gonna put a damper on times like these.”

“You’re sharing with Clarice?” I asked, my brows raised.

“Yes, Clarice, the other HMC tech,” she said. “The one working with Kate and Jennifer. The one who Jay seems to be fascinated with… hmm…”

Of course! She still didn’t know that Jay and Clarice were a couple! Actually, I think the situation couldn’t have been much more perfect. But, it still wasn’t my secret to tell. She really needed to ask Jay. Or even Clarice!

But, I smirked. I felt that it was OK to say, “Yes, well, then I don’t think you have to worry about it, sweetheart. I have a feeling that everything’s gonna work out just fine, you’ll see.”

“You seem to know more about it than you let on, and certainly, I hope you’re right,” she said, grinning. “Because I’ve kinda discovered that I’m addicted to you.”

I knew how that is! “Oh, good,” I said, laughing, and I kissed her.


	25. Luke/Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, here is the promised “interlude” chapter, 1 of 2, Luke/Lance. Sooooo much fun to write! I hope I did an OK job of giving both men their own voice… I think so, but what do I know? I apologize in advance though, because although Lance is supposed to be British, when he talks to me he sounds very American. I can’t get the man to behave… Maybe he does a lot of voice acting… hmmm, that totally makes sense… too late to write it into this chapter now! Well, anyway, thank you for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 25, Luke/Lance

Luke

I love my job. I really do. How else would an ordinary chap like me ever get a chance to meet the like of Hermione Granger and Loki of Asgard? That being said, sometimes I feel as if I am a glorified babysitter. Some of my clients are harder than others. Some take up a lot more of my time.

The best, and worst of the lot, is none other than Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston. The man makes herding cats look easy! When we are at an event, l actually feel a little bit like an old American wild west cattle puncher, rounding up the herd for branding, or something. He is just so genuine, so caring, so appreciative of all the fan adulation he receives. The truth is, he honestly doesn’t think he does anything to deserve it. Don’t get me wrong; he has a healthy ego, and he knows that he’s talented, he knows he’s a good actor. But that’s all. He doesn’t think that there’s anything very extraordinary or admirable about that. He truly doesn’t feel that he’s any better than anyone else out there. With Tom, there is no snobbishness whatsoever.

I kind of wish I could say the same. I mean, come on, when Tom told me he was in love with a HMC tech, I thought to myself that he’d really decided to slum it this time. I held my tongue when he broke that news to me over pizza and beer one night not long ago.

It hadn’t really been a surprise when he’d called and invited me over. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, and it’s my job to stay abreast of any details in his life that might need a spin or a brush. He’d been out of the limelight lately, working on a small, independent project, I knew, so when the opportunity to catch up in person, rather than over email, text, or phone came up, well, quite frankly, I jumped on that.

And, I do have to say, Tom is much more than a client to me. He’s a treasured, dear friend. We’ve had many pleasant experiences together, and yes, even some not so pleasant ones, but that goes with the territory. We hadn’t spent time together lately, though, so this did seem like a most wonderful opportunity to have a get-together, and brief and debrief.

As soon as I got off of the phone with Tom, I called my favorite pizza retaurant and ordered a large pepperoni pizza, then I got ready to go. I figured that the pizza would be done right about the time I showed up to fetch it, then I could continue on to Tom’s place for our guys’ night in.

I’ve known Tom long enough that when I go to his place, I don’t bother waiting for him to answer the door, l just knock and walk in, and it was no different that night. We drank Guinness and ate pizza, and talked about Tom’s latest project, that indie film. Tom was so excited about it – drama, angst, romance, and mystery, he said. But I could tell that there was something more. And that’s when he told me that he was in love with Bethany, his HMC tech. Again, I don’t mean to be a snob, I just kind of am. But I decided to keep my doubts to myself for now. Tom told me that the set was closed and that, so far, no paparazzi had discovered them. I told him that I wouldn’t make a press statement unless it became necessary.

And then, he told me about Lance.

Richard. My ex. We’d been together for over five years. We told everyone it was mutual and amicable. Boy, did we lie through our teeth. Our fights had been epic, and while I guess you could say our breakup was mutual, it really was anything but amicable. So, I hadn’t been sleeping, and I was aware that I looked terrible, thank you very much. And Tom is an eternal optimist. And that man is in love with love. Honestly, he falls in love at the drop of a hat, until the girl crushes him. Most of the time, it’s quick and painless. Tom has had a couple of serious relationships, and there was one that was brief but painful for him. I think that time his heart really did take a beating; he didn’t spring back near as fast that time. But, I digress — this is supposed to be about me!

Anyway, Tom likes to be in love. And, he likes to be around people who are in love. And he likes to fix things. So, that night, l could tell by the way he was looking at me, that I was on his “to-do” list!

Finally, he hit me with it. “There’s one other thing, Luke,” he said. “Bethany’s best friend thinks he’s in love with you. He’s just been waiting for you to be single, which you are now. His name is Lance.”

I took a deep breath, and eyed him, resigned to my fate. Hiddleston is a force of nature no mere mortal can resist. “Tom, I know I’ve been a little down since Richard and I broke up, but honestly, setting me up…?” I started.

“No, wait,” he said, interrupting me. “It’s just that, Bethany and l would like the four of us to all go out on Saturday night. You could meet Bethany, and you might like Lance. No pressure or strings. And, I’d really like you to meet Bethany. Say you’ll come.”

Well, why the hell not? I hadn’t seen anyone since Richard, and I was lonely and cold at night. It would give me a chance to assess the Bethany situation, and see if that was going to need more than ordinary finesse. “All right, Tom, all right, when you put it that way,” I said, “why not? What have I got to lose?”

“Great!" he said enthusiastically. “I’ll let Bethany know. She’ll be so happy!”

And the strange thing was, I found myself looking forward to it! When Tom had his accident on site I was panicked. But once l got to the hospital and found out he was going to be OK, I was genuinely disappointed that we were going to miss it. I was visiting Tom in the hospital, and the lovely Bethany was there. One thing about me, I am the first to admit it when I’m wrong, and I was wrong about her. She is an amazing person, beautiful, intelligent, quick-witted, ambitious, and independent. Totally right for Tom. I can see them fifty years from now, one of those exceptionally cute old couples who finish each other’s sentences and still sometimes have cute arguments.

But with Tom in the hospital, even though he was going to get to go home, I didn’t see how we could possibly go out that night. “But, I suppose this spoils our date tomorrow night,” I said. "Tom won’t be up to going out.”

“While its true l probably shouldn’t be going out, l don’t see while everyone can’t just come to my place,” Tom said stubbornly. "We can order pizza and watch videos. We all like to do that. And then we can play games or talk.”

“Tom’s not going to give this up," Bethany said wisely, and it was at that moment that she earned my respect. “It will be a lot less stressful for him to just let him have his way.”

She was right. “Well, if you’re sure,” I said, “I can come over tomorrow night. Seven, right?"

“Yes, seven,” Tom said firmly.

Well, I was actually ten minutes early, with two pizzas this time. It had been a hard day, and I was aware that I looked tired and depressed. I had just got settled and was talking with Tom when there was a knock at the door. Bethany got up to get it, and when she opened the door, I saw Lance for the first time. The two of them went directly to the kitchen, I assumed to put the Guinness he had brought into the refrigerator, but my first impression as he passed by was, my god, he’s huge. Clearly, he stood taller than Tom, who is taller than I. And big. He‘s actually built like an American football player, and it’s solid; there isn’t an ounce of fat on him anywhere.

I could hear them talking in the kitchen, and then after a few minutes they both came back out. I got to my feet, as my mother had trained me to do when a lady comes into a room, plus, I really wanted to see just how tall Lance is. I am about six foot even, and Tom is six foot two.

Lance was standing slightly behind Bethany, and I could tell that he was fairly nervous. I knew that he fancied me, because Tom had told me so, and l wanted to put him at his ease. Bethany pulled him forward, and then Tom took matters in hand.

“Luke,” he said, not getting up from his position on the couch, “this is my girlfriend Bethany, who you met in the hospital, of course, and her best friend Lance.”

“Hey, Luke,” Bethany said. “Lance here is a huge fan of yours.” Huge is right, I thought looking up at him. I’d say about six foot six, and probably three hundred ultra-solid pounds. His face is very handsome, and yes, l was drawn to him instantly. He’s a few years older than I, about Tom’s age, I thought at the time (and, yes, I was right).

“Bethany,” I said to her. Then I turned to Lance, taking his hand. “Hi there, Lance,” I said quietly, and I couldn’t prevent my eyes from scanning him top to bottom. “You are totally bulked up and built, aren’t you?”

Lance blushed. “I work out, yeah,” he said. Obviously.

“I’m hungry,” Tom said suddenly, sound a little like a truculent child! Yes, I’m afraid Tom doesn’t do bed rest gracefully. He just has entirely too much energy. “Someone bring me pizza. And, you’ll all have to drink a beer for me. Doc says l can’t with my pain meds. And someone put in a video!”

“Yes, sir! Loki marathon!” Lance shouted, and we all laughed.

And that’s how I met Lance.

***

Lance

I remember at uni we used to watch this program on the telly called Suburban Shootout. It was this extremely silly show about small town housewives who form an out-and-out gang. In the show, the police superintendent had a teenage son who was played by an extremely attractive young actor, six foot two, slim, athletic, with longish golden blond curls and bright blue eyes, with the most glorious smile ever to grace the telly screen. Of course, I’m talking about Tom Hiddleston. Oh, I was mad for him; who wouldn’t be? Watched all his telly shows, went to all of his movies, and in general, pined away for him. I went into acting, in part, inspired by him. My size and body type prevents me from getting a lot of roles, so I subsidize my income waiting tables, which I’m actually quite good at, and I get by.

Then came the horrible day, that day when I watched that interview where Tom said, that, while he appreciated and respected and was grateful for his gay fans, he himself was definitely NOT gay. Broken-hearted, I resigned myself to never love again (dramatic gesture, back of hand to forehead, lean back in despair… yes, I do actually love to make fun of myself!).

But, he was still my favorite actor, and I continued to keep up with his career, and then finally, I noticed that tall, slim, blond young man who you often see with him at events. I took pains to find out who he is. Why, Luke Windsor is his name, and he is Tom’s publicist. Luke had a boyfriend, but I knew that it was a relationship that couldn’t possibly be serious, because clearly, Luke is my soul mate. I only have to meet him so that I could have the opportunity of convincing him. As an actor myself, it could happen, although I run in quite different circles. But, I held out hope, because clearly, our love was meant to be!

When my best mate Ezra moved to the States with his brothers, sister, and parents, leaving another sister stranded here all alone, well, of course, I agreed to look after her. She moved in with me as a roommate, and we have been a most effective team together ever since. And Bethany is in the biz as well, meaning my chances of getting to meet the love of my life, Luke, went up. Bethany is good. I thought the chances of her working with Tom eventually were pretty high, as she also works all three aspects of performing, as does Tom: by that, I mean live theater, film, and television.

But, when the day finally came, it was with drama and angst. Through a gratuitous accident, Bethany would be working with Tom, and what was more, they had seemed to hit it off. But, tragedy struck. Bethany tried to wrangle an introduction to Luke for me, and Tom went off the deep end about it, and Bethany left him alone in a pub, and called me to come get her. I only had the smallest pang of regret: my loyalty to Bethany was of much more value to me than all the introductions in the world. Screw him! Tom, of course, not Luke. Although, if and when he’s willing…

When Tom showed up on our doorstep hours later, wanting to apologize to Bethany, I couldn’t help but be happy for her. I don’t think she could tell at the time, but I could see quite clearly that they were already connected somehow. It was subtle, and I couldn’t have explained to you what I was seeing and how I knew, but it was true, nevertheless. I figured the two of them would wind up together. As I, grinning, slammed the door in his face that night, I knew that it was far from over.

If he had meant nothing, Bethany wouldn’t have cried so hard. And if he felt nothing, then why did he take the time to find out where she lives, and come over to apologize to her? Like I said, definitely something between them already. And they had only met that same day.

When they got back together, l wasn’t surprised at all, although, I pretended to be to Bethany — she doesn’t need to know the extent of my psychic powers. But, I was surprised when she told me Tom wanted Luke and me to go on a double-date with the two of them. Of course, I agreed. Then came Tom’s horrible accident. Tom was nearly killed. Bethany spent two nights in the hospital staying with him, and she kept me apprised of his healing process, but I figured our date was off. Well, I hadn’t factored in the force of nature that is Tom Hiddleston. The show must go on, and the only thing that changed was the location: we would eat in at Tom’s.

I was asked to bring some beer, and since I’m partial to Guinness Stout, that is what brought. Bethany showed me into the kitchen, ostensibly so that we could put it in the fridge, but I knew that the real reason was so that she could help me keep my cool. Because I had wanted to let out a squeal, I was fan boying so bad.

She asked me if I was ready, and I squared my shoulders and said I was as ready as I ever would be, and we went out there. Dammit, I cowered behind Bethany, dazed and confused. Tom called out introductions from the couch like a king from his throne. (OK, to be fair, that’s simply not true. The man had almost been killed two days before in a horrible accident; he had the right to look as if a building had fallen on him, as it had! And it was a miracle that he was able to do this at all, but I think he was determined to not let Luke and me down).

Oh, my first glimpse of Luke was everything I hoped it would be. He is handsome, intelligent, witty, and charming, and I was star-struck. Fortunately, he seemed to like me, too. At the end of the evening we walked out to our cars together, exchanging phone numbers and making a date for the following weekend.

See, I told you. Soul mates.


	26. Clarice/Jay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody, interlude chapter 2 of 2! Fun to write! In case you wonder what these two are thinking! 
> 
> PS, both Jay and Clarice are Canadian, eh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, it’s back to Tom even and Bethany odd, until the next urge for the side characters strikes. I had pretty positive feedback for Luke and Lance, even a request for more, so I may do that again at some point. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 26, Clarice/Jay

Clarice

I have a reputation for hating men, but it isn’t true. I mean, it’s true that I have the reputation, but I don’t, in actual fact, hate men. Quite the opposite, actually. I LOVE men! So much so, that they distract me! It’s very difficult for me to work with them, because I get so caught up in the texture of their hair, the smoothness of their skin, the contrast of their faces verses their facial hair, the color of their eyes… You’ve maybe gathered: l was actually quite a bad girl when I was younger. Ugh…

So, it’s always been a bad idea for me to work with men. And, well, I’m also a little heavy handed with the makeup brush. Sometimes the poor dears end up looking like drag queens, and this is the reason I give if anyone really pushes me. When I started out in this biz, I knew that if could be the best, that I would be able to afford to pick and choose my jobs. So I worked hard to be the best. And I am. So now, I choose to only take jobs working with women. It‘s the way I can stay professional, and remain the best. And that’s my secret.

I was between jobs when I got the call from Claire, telling me that her regular lead had broken her arm on the eve of a film shoot. Finding out that I would be working with Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence was a huge draw, and I took a moment to feel guilty that I would be taking that away from the other tech, who now would be stuck working with the men, but it was too good an opportunity to miss, and I jumped on it.

But, finding out who those men were, almost made me break my own rule! Tom Hiddleston, swoon. There isn’t a better looking guy in the biz. And, Jay Baruchel. Sigh. By now you know that Jay is my boyfriend; we’re been together for almost a year. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to marry me. We met on the set of ‘This Is The End,’ which I think is one of the funniest movies ever made, and certainly one of the raunchiest. Anyway, I was working with Emma Watson and some of the other girls, and Jay had come over to talk to me. He wasn’t put off by my reputation. And, he’s really nice, you know? And I think he’s quite handsome. Anyway, he asked me if I’d like to go out to dinner after filming, and I absolutely couldn’t resist him. I still can’t. My goal for this movie shoot is to get him to propose. I don’t think it will be that difficult.

So, I could have backed down on my rule, and worked with both Tom Sex-Symbol Hiddleston, and my beloved dorky Jay; but once I did something like that, then I would have blown my cover, and I’d worked too hard establishing it, so, I would work with the girls, and the other tech would have the privilege of working with those dreamy men!

Day one was men-only on set, so I didn’t have to be there, but come day two, everyone was on set. So, I didn’t get to see it, but apparently there was drama between the other tech, who I now saw was a girl I knew casually, Bethany, and Tom. I got a kick out of watching them; so much sexual tension! And, oh, that Tom! Better looking in person than you can ever know by just watching him on a screen! I couldn’t help checking him out, even though I knew Jay might make me pay for it later! Except, Jay had texted me that morning to tell me that he was going to help Bethany make Tom jealous. He’s lucky I feel secure, but it was still one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, watching the man I love making out with another quite beautiful girl. But at the end of the day, anybody could have seen that Jay and Bethany had been successful. Tom was seething, and I wasn’t sure whether to be envious of Bethany, or whether I should be worried for her!

That evening, as I nestled in Jay’s arms in his hotel room, he told me all about it.

“They went out last night,” he said, kissing my brow, “but something silly pissed off Tom, and he was incredibly rude to Bethany, and she walked out. They were at a pub.”

“Men,” I said, shaking my head. “So irrational sometimes.”

“Yes,” he agreed with me. He’s so smart! "Tom had talked her into leaving her car at the set, and she was stranded. She had to call her roommate to come get her.”

“That’s the giant linebacker guy, right?” I asked him. Believe it or not, Tom had mentioned him, as we happened to find ourselves together at the buffet table. I don’t even remember how it came up in conversation, but Tom was seriously angry about the whole situation.

"Yup," Jay said. "But Tom felt like an idiot right away, and he tried to find her, but she hid. He went home and called Danny, and managed to weasel her contact information out of him…”

“Oh, he didn’t?” I was a little stunned at the cheek.

“No, he did,” Jay said, smirking. “So Tom went over to her apartment, trying to apologize, where he met the linebacker guy, who intimidated the fuck out of him then slammed the door in his face.”

I was laughing pretty hard at this point, picturing it all in my mind. “It sounds like Tom got the worse end of this argument.”

“Yeah, after the roommate slammed the door in his face, he went home and texted Bethany, so, you really do have to hand it to the guy. He tried really hard. And, then, we were pretty hard on him today.” Jay looked like he was maybe regretting what they’d done.

“You sorry you helped?” I asked him, stroking my hand over his face, then running my fingers through his hair, kissing him gently.

“Nah, it’ll be OK now, I think,” he said, pulling me closer and tucking my head under his chin. “At the end of the day, l told Tom all about it. I could tell how broken up he was, and I had to give him some hope. I told him about us, too. I hope that’s OK?”

I pulled away and frowned up at him. “We weren’t going to tell anyone here,” I said, pouting. “I don’t want to compromise our professionalism.”

“I don’t think he’ll tell anyone,” Jay said positively. "I had to tell him so that he would believe me about Bethany and me. Trust me on this, Reecy.”

I continued to pout at him, but he gets this look, and it’s absolutely impossible for me to resist him. “OK," I said, a little sullenly.

He kissed me firmly, and said, “So, I told Bethany to give Tom a second chance, to hear him out and lighten up on him. And then I left them alone in the trailer.” He had the biggest grin on his face as he said that. “They’re probably going at it right now.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” I murmured, before kissing him. And I was right. It was.

Yes, well. The next day Tom and Bethany were definitely together. Tom was the epitome of professionalism, but poor Bethany was having trouble keeping her hands off him. I recognized the signs, trust me! Jay told me later that he even thought they had gotten it on in one of the porta-potties, and you know, it’s not everyone who can say that they’ve done that. Um… Present company excepted, but, I’m not going to go there, OK?

Anyway, they were really cute together. Then the next day, the scaffolding fell on Tom. Of course, we were all devastated, but clearly Bethany was the most. I was uber-proud of Jay; he stepped in to take care of her, when everyone else kind of ignored her. Although, l don’t think anyone else knew about her and Tom, which was maybe why. But we’re all grateful that Tom is going to be OK. He even still has some scenes to film. I hope he’ll be able to do that before we pack up this weekend for Cambridge.

***

Jay

OK, so, hi. I’ve been pretty quiet the last few chapters, but that’s because this story isn’t really about me. It was supposed to be about Luke and Lance, but has turned out to be more about Tom and Bethany, and I am OK with that, I really am. I’ve known Bethany casually for a while, and she’s a great girl, and she deserves this love story!

Tom. What a guy. After Allison broke up with me, after that Woody Allen movie she made with Tom, well, I did wonder. I mean, I’m really popular, you know? I’ve made a lot more movies than Tom has, and I’ve been involved a lot more actively in film making. I’ve been behind the scenes, done some writing and directing, dabbled in producing. Let’s face it, I’m better at this than he is! I’m funnier, smarter, and I’ve made a lot more money.

But, I haven’t done as much live theater or television, and I’m OK with that. And, I have no illusions about myself. I am a scrawny little guy. I mean, I’m OK looking, I’m not ugly — OK, Clarice says I’m handsome, and thanks for that, Reecy – but come on, I am no Tom Hiddleston! Even I’ve got a hard-on for the guy, and I’m about as hetero as they come!

But, anyway, when I found out that they wanted me to make a movie with him, well, I hoped it wouldn’t be awkward. I didn’t blame him in any way for Allison and me breaking up, but it impressed me that he thought it might. So, I’m here to tell you, it’s true. You won’t find a more caring, respectful, considerate, professional, happy guy, than Tom. I was feeling all kinds of guilty for what Bethany and I had put him through that second day. It was probably a lot harsher than he deserved, and I hoped Bethany was going out of her way to make it up to him.

The next day on set, it was clear that they were together. They both had that thoroughly-fucked air about them. Tom was quintessentially professional towards her, and although she was trying, I could see that she really just wanted to grab him and have her way with him. I’m pretty sure that I am the only one who noticed Tom heading over to the porta-potties, and Bethany following him a few minutes later. Tom came out first, and again, I’m sure I’m the only one who could tell, but he had the look, and they had obviously gotten it on in there, and when Bethany came out a few minutes later, it confirmed it, and I thought to myself, hoo-boy, this is gonna be a fun sexy time.

Then the scaffolding fell on Tom, and Bethany saw it happen. Of course, we were all worried about Tom, but I was also seriously worried about Bethany. She took it really hard, and I’m pretty sure she went into shock. I probably should have insisted she talk to a doctor, but I think being with Tom was what she really needed the most. And thank god, he’s going to be OK.

That, of course, was a turning point in their relationship. It brought home to Bethany what she had, and what she stood to lose. Love is a funny thing. It can be the softest, most gentlest of emotions, but at the same time, it is the most powerful force in the universe.

I find myself in love with Clarice. She thinks I don’t know that she’s got plans for me. Know that I’m chuckling as I write this. Well, I’ve got news for Reecy… I’m not afraid of commitment. I’ve already done the engagement thing, and it didn’t end well for me. I think that’s probably where Clarice and I are going, but I’m going to take my time about it. I’m not one to rush like Tom!

But, as I’m sure you’re aware, there is more to this story. And right now, I’m gonna shut the fuck up.

It’s Bethany’s turn.


	27. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a really good chapter; I’m quite pleased with it. I hope you are, too. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 27, Bethany

Monday on set without Tom felt so wrong. We had spent Sunday quietly, watching videos and silly reality shows, reading, sleeping, playing cards. And making love. I wasn’t sure Tom should exert himself so, but he assured me that the stress of not fulfilling these needs would be far more damaging, and of course, l was not too difficult to convince. After all, the nurse had caught us in the hospital and hadn’t stopped us. I think my protests were simply a way of assuaging my own guilt, because my desire for him had increased to the point that I pretty much wanted him all the time.

We went to sleep that night thoroughly sated, but when I woke Monday morning, it was with a feeling of dread. “I don’t know how I’m expected to leave you alone,” I said doubtfully, frowning. “What if something happens?”

“Bethany,” he said patiently, brushing my hair back from my forehead. “Nothing is going to happen. You know they need you on set today. And at the rate you’re going, you’re going to be late. I’ll be fine. You can text me every hour to check on me. It will be OK.”

I blinked back tears. “You promise?” l asked.

“Yes, I promise,” he said firmly, kissing me softly. “Now go!”

I did my best to give him a smile. “Yes, sir,” I said meekly, picking up my purse and slinging it over my shoulder. “But I’m driving this week. The tube is too slow!”

He chuckled at me, grinning. “I love you, Bethany," he said.

“I love you, too,” I said bravely, biting my lip. “I’m texting you every hour. You be listening for it.”

He motioned an X in front of his chest. "I promise, cross my heart,” he said, and I turned and walked down the hall to the front door.

Jay was there ahead of me, but with only him to do, it didn’t take long. “How’s Tom?” he asked me, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, frustrated. I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “No. He’s good. I’m just worried about him. I hated leaving him alone this morning. The doctor said it’s alright, but it’s killing me.”

“I assume you made arrangements to check on him,” Jay said, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, I’m to text him every hour. It’s about time right now,” I said, looking at my watch.

He stood up and headed for the door. "You’d best get on that, then,” he said, grinning. “I’ll head over now. I’ll walk slow so that you can catch up.”

“Thanks, Jay,” l said gratefully. “You’re such a good friend!”

“Aww, that’s what all the pretty girls say,” he said, smirking, as he closed the door behind him.

True to my word, I texted Tom every hour. All of the conversations went similar to this:

[Tom, how are you? Bxox]

[Bethany, I’m fine. Stop worrying. Txox]

[How do you know I’m worrying? Bxox]

[I can feel it through the phone. Txox]

[You can’t either! Bxox]

[Yes, I can. Stop. I’m fine. I promise. Txox]

[I love you Tom. Text you in an hour. Bxox]

[I love you, Bethany. I miss you. I’ll be here. Txox]

Everyone was on set today except for Tom. He had gotten tentative permission from his doctor to come to set on Friday, to film his last few scenes, so we were doing everything else so that we’d be ready to just take care of only him on Friday. He would see the doctor for final permission on Thursday, and then I would have my work cut out for me, covering the remaining bruises and scabbed-over cuts and scrapes. I was confident in my abilities, though, and Clarice had even offered to help, should I just hit a wall with something.

Clarice surprised me. She had always seemed so cold and aloof to me before, but today, she went out of her way to be kind and friendly. I recognized the sympathetic look in her eyes, and I suddenly knew that she understood exactly how I was feeling. Somehow I could tell, that she was in love herself, and she would have felt just as I did if she’d had to leave her sweetheart alone.

As I worked on Jay at the first break, I intercepted a look between the two of them, and suddenly everything clicked into place, and I gasped.

“What?” Jay asked, not wanting to move and mess up his makeup, but his eyes met mine. “What is it? Are you OK?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I said, smirking, I’m sure. ”I think I just figured something out.”

“What?” he asked warily, frowning a little.

“It’s OK, Jay,” I said, chuckling. “Your secret is safe with me!”

“Dammit, she’s gonna kill me!” he said.

“It’s as much her fault as it is yours,” I assured him, still grinning. “She keeps looking at you, that way. And she’s full of sympathy for me today, like she knows how she’d feel if something happened to the man she loves.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to him,” Jay said, grinning himself. “He’s a lucky bastard that way.”

“Well, you’re good to go,” l said, giving a last pat to his hair. “Just to be safe, stay away from the scaffolding!”

“Will do,” he said, going back to his places.

Because I only had Jay to deal with, I even volunteered to help with the lesser characters. I was being paid by the hour, anyway, and as the film’s budget was shoestring, the secondaries were doing their own hair and makeup. But since l was available, I stepped in, because, honestly, it helped me pass the time, and helped keep my mind from worrying about Tom.

But by lunchtime, I was desperate for more contact than a text. I decided to call him so that I could hear his voice. I pulled up the number and hit dial. Nothing. It rang five times, then went to voicemail. Where was he? Collapsed at the bottom of the stairs? Unconscious? I panicked. Glancing at my watch, I saw with despair that there was no way I could get there and back in time, and if I left, it would seriously jeopardize the filming.

I hit redial, and this time, when it went to voicemail, I left a message. "Tom? Where are you? Are you OK? As soon as you get this, you call me! If I don’t hear from you in five minutes, I’m coming home!”

I hung up and started to send a text as well, when my phone rang. Answering it, I gasped, “Tom, where were you? Are you OK?”

“Bethany, calm down,” he said, sounding fine, but exasperated. “Can’t a guy even use the loo?”

Relief burst over me. “You were in the loo?” I asked in a small voice.

“Yes,” he said, amusement now threading his words. “I’m sorry I forgot to take my phone in there. I wasn’t expecting your text for another," he paused, and I knew he was looking at his watch, “twenty minutes.”

“It’s lunch time,” l said softly. “I wanted to hear your voice.”

“It is nice to hear you, Bethy,” he said sweetly.

“I love it when you call me that,” I said on a sigh.

“You do?” he asked, chuckling warmly.

“Yes, no one’s ever called me that before,” I said. “It’s like it’s your very own special name for me.”

“Yes, it is that,” he said softly. “I love you, Bethany. I’m sorry I worried you.”

“It’s OK, Tom," I said. “I’m just glad you’re all right. I love you.”

“I’ll see you when you get home,” he said.

“Yes, you will!” I said. “And I’m texting you in an hour!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said laughing. “Go back to work. Bye, Bethy.”

“Bye, Tom.”

I continued to text him every hour, and he always answered that he was all right, until finally Danny said, “Cut, that’s a wrap for the day,” and we were through. Jay and Clarice came over, Clarice’s bag over his shoulder, and he scooped up mine as well. My eyes met Clarice’s, and she smiled at me.

“He told me you figured it out,” she said, her mouth twisted is a little chagrined smile.

“It’s just not hard for one woman in love to recognize another, is it?” I asked her with a sympathetic smile. She just shook her head.

We stopped by the girls’ trailer first, where Jay unloaded Clarice’s bag. I looked away as they exchanged a swift kiss, then Jay and I went to our trailer. “I’m gonna just shower and change,” he said.

“I need to put my gear away, and then I’m going to head home to Tom,” I said. “I’ll probably be gone when you get out, so have a nice evening, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“All right, you, too. See you tomorrow. Goodnight, Bethany,” he said, closing the bathroom door.

I got out my phone to call Tom, to let him know I was on my way home, and to ask if he wanted me to pick up anything on the way. I pulled up his number and waited for the call to go through. One ring, two. Five rings, and it went to voicemail. I took a deep breath. Remember what happened at lunchtime, I told myself. Maybe he’s in the loo. I hit redial, a huge sense of déjà vu overcoming me.

“Tom,” I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. “I’m on my way home. I guess you’re in the loo again. Please call me when you get this, so I’ll know you’re OK. I’ll be home in twenty minutes.” My voice broke on the last word, and I knew he’d be able to hear the tears in my voice, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I had to get home. He needed me.

I won’t panic; he’s OK. I won’t panic; he’s OK. I won’t panic; he’s OK. I said it over and over again in my head, all the way to his home. Never had the trip felt so long. I seemed to hit every single stop light and traffic jam along the way, and I think it was actually closer to half an hour before I pulled up into my parking place outside his home. He still hadn’t called or texted, and I was calling myself all kinds of names for having left him alone today. Tears were clouding my vision and dripping off my chin as I grabbed my purse, locked my car, and headed up his front steps.

I unlocked the door and rushed in, dropping my purse and my keys where I stood, practically running down the hall to the living room. The sight that greeted me had my heart clenching in my chest. Tom was sprawled on the couch, the telly remote on the cushion beside him, some mindless reality show droning softly. A book was open face down on the coffee table in front of him, and a cup of tea was balanced precariously on his stomach. A soft snore issued from between his slightly parted lips. My Tom was asleep. I closed my eyes, releasing my breath in a relieved sigh. I opened my eyes again, and drank in the sight him.

As I gazed at him, my heart so full of love I thought it might burst with it, he awoke, and his face took on one of those puppy-eyed looks for which he is famous, and my heart leapt out of my chest and fell on the floor at his feet. At that moment, I would have done anything, anything, that he had asked; if he wanted me to level Mt. Everest, or fill up the Grand Canyon, I would gladly have spent the rest of my life trying to do it. His mouth turned up in a wistful little half-smile.

“Marry me, Bethany,” he said.


	28. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to tell from Tom’s side. They spend most of the day apart, so not a total overlap, and I think this is another good chapter. Thanks for reading it, and enjoy!

Chapter 28, Tom

Sunday, after our evening with Lance and Luke — which was a total success, I’m pleased to say — I was understandably, I think, quite exhausted. Realistically, I probably shouldn’t have exerted myself that much, but I had been so excited and looking forward to it, that I know I couldn’t have handled the disappointment emotionally, so I truly have no regrets about it.

However, I still had scenes to film before the crew all moved to Cambridge over the weekend, so it really did behoove me to behave myself the rest of the week, if I expected to be recovered enough on Friday for the doctor to grant me permission to film. So Sunday, we stayed in, watching telly, both programs and videos, playing games, and reading, and we also spent a good deal of time in bed. Bethany said I shouldn’t stress myself, but the very thought of trying to resist making love with her was much more stressful, and she gave in to my pleading. I am so in love with her, at times it’s all I can do to keep my hands to myself.

Bethany had to be back on set on Monday morning, but of course, I wasn’t up to that yet, and the thought of leaving me on my own was really bothering her. While I appreciated her caring so much, because it really felt good to know she loves me, I didn’t want her worrying. I was doing well, and my doctor said it would be fine for me to be on my own during the day. But Monday morning, Bethany really had a hard time getting ready to go to work.

“I don’t know how I’m expected to leave you alone,” she said doubtfully, frowning. “What if something happens?”

“Bethany,” I said patiently, running my hand over her hair. “Nothing is going to happen. You know they need you on set today. And at the rate you’re going, you’re going to be late. I’ll be fine. You can text me every hour to check on me. It will be OK.”

She had tears in her eyes when she said, “You promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” I said insistently, giving her a gentle kiss. “Now go!”

She bared her teeth in what I think was supposed to be a smile. “Yes, sir,” she said meekly, picking up her purse. “But I’m driving this week. The tube is too slow!”

I smiled and laughed at her. “I love you, Bethany," I told her.

“I love you, too,” she said trying hard, biting her lip. I could see it was still troubling her, and l felt bad about it, but I didn’t know what else I could do to reassure her.

“I’m texting you every hour. You be listening for it,” she ordered.

I made an X in front of my chest. ”I promise, cross my heart,” I said, and seemingly satisfied, she finally left for the set.

I got myself a good book and the telly remote, and settled down on the couch. I did feel pretty good. A little achy, especially my head, but the pain meds worked well. I was concerned about them being narcotic and habit forming, but the doc assured me that the short amount of time I would be on them, I should be all right. He did say that they have found that we heal better when we are not fighting pain, so he told me to be sure to take the meds when I needed them, and not to let myself become hurting. He did say that come Tuesday or Wednesday, I should begin to transition to plain old paracetamol, to see if I could tolerate the pain with that. I knew I definitely wanted to get off the hard stuff well before Friday, when I would be filming my last London scenes before the whole production packed up and moved to Cambridge. I had an appointment with the doc on Thursday to get his final approval, because he had already expressed amazement at my rapid recovery, and had told me that if I continued to heal at the rate I was, he didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t film on Friday, as long as it wasn’t anything too strenuous. Bethany had assured me that she could cover my injuries with makeup, and that no one would be able to tell that I looked like I’d lost an epic bar fight in hell.

I was surprised that an hour had gone by when I got Bethany’s first text check in. It was to be the first of several, all of which went about exactly the same way:

[Tom, how are you? Bxox]

[Bethany, I’m fine. Stop worrying. Txox]

[How do you know I’m worrying? Bxox]

[I can feel it through the phone. Txox]

[You can’t either! Bxox]

[Yes, I can. Stop. I’m fine. I promise. Txox]

[I love you Tom. Text you in an hour. Bxox]

[I love you, Bethany. I miss you. I’ll be here. Txox]

And l was. Where else would I go?

My book held my attention for quite a while, but my problem is that I am quite physical. I run, I do yoga, I jump rope, I dance. I don’t just sit in front of the telly all day. I don’t even sit with a book all day. I was bored out of my head, and my body was full of nervous energy with no way to release it. Of course, I was thinking about Bethany. I had about half an hour before her next check in text. With nothing else to do, I decided to have a wank.

It was easy to shove my sweats and boxers down, and I took out my nearly flaccid cock. Just thinking about Bethany had me beginning to harden, and I wrapped my hand around my shaft, slowly stroking from root to tip, using my other hand to cup and massage my balls. Bethany’s hands are much smaller than mine, so I just used my first two fingers and thumb, pretending it was her who was touching me. Soon I was fully erect, and I let out a little moan as l continued to pleasure myself, all along pretending it was Bethany. I imagined her on the floor on her knees at my feet, her warm mouth swallowing my cock. She had gotten really good at taking all of me, and as I pictured that, I sped up my pace. At this point I had my eyes squeezed shut, and I was close enough that I wrapped my whole hand around my cock, my pace frantic. I was so close, but something was preventing me from releasing, and I realized that I’d become spoiled, used to having Bethany cater to my needs in every way. Finally, imagining thrusting into her hot, wet, eager cunt was enough, and I groaned as spilled all over my stomach as my orgasm claimed me.

I lay there on the couch until my breathing steadied, and I realized I hadn’t thought to bring anything to clean up with. Careful to not get my cum on the couch, I gathered it up into one hand, and then holding my underwear and sweats away from my body with my other hand, I headed down the hall to the loo for a quick cleanup. While I was washing, I heard my phone ringing back in the living room, on the coffee table where I’d left it after Bethany’s last text check in. Well, it would have to go to voice mail. I’d check it when I got done.

Back in the living room, I checked the phone: one missed call and one voice mail. It was from Bethany. Oh-oh. I hadn’t answered, I bet I was in trouble, but it wasn’t time for her check in yet. Pulling up the voicemail, I listened to it with a certain amusement. Trust her to call when I was wanking.

”Tom? Where are you? Are you OK? As soon as you get this, you call me! If I don’t hear from you in five minutes, I’m coming home!” Oh, she sounded angry. And scared. Feeling guilty, for a couple of reasons, I called her.

“Tom, where were you? Are you OK?” she gasped into the phone, clearly panicked.

“Bethany, calm down,” I said, guilt making me sound exasperated. “Can’t a guy even use the loo?”

“You were in the loo?” she asked softly, sounding relieved.

“Yes,” I said, trying not to laugh. “I’m sorry I forgot to take my phone in there. I wasn’t expecting your text for another," I glanced at my watch, “twenty minutes.”

“It’s lunch time,” she said softly. “I wanted to hear your voice.”

Oh, her words made my heart sing! “It is nice to hear you, Bethy,” I said, loving her so.

“I love it when you call me that,” she said, sighing.

That surprised me a little. I don’t why, but it made me ridiculously happy for some reason. “You do?” I asked, chuckling.

“Yes, no one’s ever called me that before,” she said. “It’s like it’s your very own special name for me.”

“Yes, it is that,” I agreed, glad that I now had permission to use it. “I love you, Bethany. I’m sorry I worried you.”

“It’s OK, Tom," she said. “I’m just glad you’re all right. I love you.”

“I’ll see you when you get home,” I said. We still had several hours, but somehow, I’d survive. I didn’t want to burden her with how hard this was for me. The rest of the week loomed. I’d have to think seriously about what I could do to cope. Later.

“Yes, you will!” she said. “And I’m texting you in an hour!”

Oh, good, I could look forward to that. “Yes, ma’am,” I said, laughing. “Go back to work. Bye, Bethy.”

“Bye, Tom.”

We had a couple more text check ins, and after what I figured was probably the last one, I got up and made myself a cup of tea. Settling on the couch, I tried to read, but l kept reading the same line over and over again, so I abandoned my book on the coffee table and switched on the telly again. I leaned my head against the back of the couch, sipping my tea, listening to the telly, knowing that my Bethy would be home soon….

In the way of dreams, I knew I was dreaming. I was still sprawled on a couch, but in the dream, there were three little ones climbing and wrestling all over me, two girls and a boy, with another, littler one asleep in a cradle over by a fireplace. I looked around. This wasn’t my home, and yet it was. It was familiar, as if I’d lived here for several years.

Bethany came out of the kitchen, a plate of biscuits, a pitcher of milk, and five cups on a tray. She bent and placed it on the coffee table amidst cries of “mummy, mummy!” The littlest child, a girl that I thought must be about three, got down from my lap and ran to Bethany. Bethany grasped her hands, and backing into the center of the room, spun her around several times, before kissing her and setting her back down again. The little girl made her way back over to me on unsteady legs, climbing back up into my lap, winding her chubby little arms around my neck, and covering my face in wet, sloppy kisses. Now the middle of the three little ones, a boy of about five, I guessed, ran to Bethany. She scooped him up and hugged him, nuzzling her nose into his hair. Her eyes met mine over the top of his head, and the look she gave me caused my heart to skip a beat. It was as if she thought that I personally had hung the sun, moon, and stars specifically for her pleasure. She looked at me as if I were the beginning and the end of her existence, just as she is mine. “I love you,” she mouthed silently.

Still holding the boy, she came and sat beside me. “Milk and biscuits, and storytime,” she said brightly. "Then bed. Hannah, will you get the book, please?”

The oldest girl, around seven, I’d say, climbed down from my lap and walked over to the bookcase, reaching up to a shelf just over her head and pulling down a well-thumbed volume. She brought it back and handed it to me. "Chapter five, daddy” she said solemnly, as she climbed back into my lap.

“Shadow Castle,” it was one of my sisters’ favorites when we were growing up, and I was familiar with it. I opened it and began to read, using different voices for all of the characters, which soon had the younger two gripped in paroxysms of laugher, and I stopped reading to laugh with them, but Hannah shushed them, saying, “I want to hear daddy read!”

I knew that this is what I needed, this is what I craved. As I began to read again, I suddenly felt as if I were swimming, and I knew I was waking up. When I opened my eyes, Bethany was standing there staring at me, and that look, the one from my dream, was on her face, and it felt as if my stomach had dropped to my feet. I looked at her with utter longing, and I felt my lips curl up in a little smile. I held my breath, and without thinking about it, said the first thing that popped into my head.

“Marry me, Bethany.”


	29. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! I have to admit, Bethany surprised me! You’ll see! And I don’t want to spoil it, but I will just say that my husband did the same thing Tom agrees to, so it’s not impossible! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 29, Bethany

“Oh, Tom!” My mouth dropped open, and I suddenly had trouble breathing. My legs buckled, and I sunk to my knees on the floor. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, and I didn’t hurt myself or anything, but I was aware of Tom moving faster than he probably ought to, as he put his tea cup on the table and rushed to my side, kneeling next to me and slipping one arm around my shoulders.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he was babbling. “I was dreaming, and then I woke up and you were standing there, and I didn’t think, I just said the first thing that popped into my head… I didn’t mean it… that is, I meant it, but I didn’t mean to say it, not now… It just slipped out. I was dreaming, and we have four little ones… the oldest is Hannah, she’s about seven… and there’s another little girl about three, and a little boy. And a baby… I don’t know what gender! And it was story time, and I read ‘Shadow Castle’ with character voices, and the little ones were laughing… oh, I don’t even know their names… and we had biscuits and milk… And, oh god, Bethany, please marry me!” He stopped, and clapped one hand over his mouth, then started in again. "No, I’m sorry… I just… Bethany, I love you so much, and I know we’ve only known each other a week, but I want what was in my dream, and I know I won’t change my mind… No, no, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” I noticed he was blinking back tears.

I cupped his face with one hand, feeling his scruffies with my fingers, brushing at his tears, stroking my thumb over his lips. "Shhh, you’re repeating yourself,” I said softly. “That has to mean that it’s my turn.”

He looked at me, his eyes wide, and he licked his lips and ran a hand over his hair. ‘He’s nervous,’ I thought. Well, this is going to surprise him. It’s surprising me!

“Yes,” I whispered.

“What?” he said stupidly, falling from his knees back onto his bum. His face was priceless, and I was glad I hadn’t felt the need to try to rationalize it.

“I love you, Tom,” I said quietly. “Last week, when you had your accident, and today, first, when you didn’t answer the phone at lunch, and just now when I called before I left work and you didn’t answer… well, I had a small taste of what it would be like to lose you. It doesn’t matter that we’ve only known each other a week. I love you, and I want — no, I need — you in my life. I love you, Tom. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

I could see that he was speechless, so I took advantage of his rare silence to say more. “I want to be with you, Tom. I want to grow old with you. But, I think we probably ought to wait a while before we do it. Get married, I mean. We have to tell our families, and doesn’t Luke have to spin it, or something?”

He scraped his top teeth over his bottom lip, before saying, “God, Luke! You’re right! No one even knows we’re dating, let alone getting married!”

My knees were cramping from being down on the floor, and stiffly, I got to my feet, reaching down both hands to Tom. “Let’s get you back up on to the couch.”

He stood up and returned to his spot on the couch, taking his cup of probably cold tea and sipping at it absently. “I can’t believe you said yes, just like that, with no arguments. Who are you, and what have you done with my Bethy?”

“I know, I should have argued,” I said, grinning. “I intended to, but, it just didn’t seem right to torture you, when it’s what I want, too.” Suddenly, I felt a clenching pain in my gut and I went cold. He did say that he hadn’t meant to say it. “You do want this, don’t you, Tom?”

“Oh, god yes, Bethany,” he said, giving me the puppy eyes. “I agree with you, though, we need to get everything in order before we can."

“Where do we start?” I said. “With our families? Or do you have to tell Luke first?”

“I want to tell my mum. And my dad and my sisters,” Tom said, grinning. "Then, we can tell Luke. The set’s still closed, right?” When I nodded, he went on. "Then we still have some time.”

I stood and headed for the kitchen. “What would you like for dinner?” I asked him over my shoulder.

“Would you make me pancakes?” he asked, giving me the puppy eyes, again! Seriously, what was up with that?

I asked him. “Tom, yes, I’ll make you pancakes,” I said, my hands on my hips, “but you’ve gotta stop with those eyes. Seriously, you’re killing me here!”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, frowning a little. “What?”

I walked back over and stood in front of the couch, looking down at him. “You get this look in your eyes, Tom," I explained, as if I thought he truly had no clue what I was talking about. “It’s kind of wistful, but hopeful, and pleading. The internet calls it ‘puppy eyes.’”

He got a little frown between his brows. “You’re joking,” he said flatly.

“No, I’m not!” I said. “You could make me do anything with that look, mister, it’s that powerful! But it wouldn’t be gentlemanly, so don’t do it!”

A calculating look came over his face for a moment, before he grinned, chuckling, and said, “I’ll keep that under advisement. Now, make me pancakes, woman!” And he tried to do the puppy eyes, but somehow, when he actually tries to do it, it isn’t near as effective. However, I was also hungry, so I made my way into the kitchen to make pancakes.

When I had a batch ready, I buttered them the way l know he likes them, put on some maple syrup, and took the plate into the living room. He wasn’t there. Seriously?

“Tom!” I called out, not exactly panicked, but getting kind of tired of his shenanigans today. “Where are you?” Muttering something to the effect of not being able to trust him out of my sight for a minute, I set the plate on the coffee table and went to check to see if he was in the loo. No such luck. “Tom?”

Just then, I heard his step on the stairs, and he came down, one hand behind his back, looking guilty and suspicious.

“What are you up to?” I asked him, frowning.

He bit his lip. “Come into the living room with me,” he said, turning in that direction, and I followed him. He motioned that I should sit on the couch, so I did, and he sat down beside me. “Are you OK with people knowing about us?" he asked. “Like, on set, I mean?”

I thought about it for a moment. I really wanted my family to know first, but since they were all in the States, I wouldn’t be able to tell them in person, anyway. I could call them tonight, and then they’d know. “I guess so," I said finally. “Why?”

He smiled a little self-deprecating smile. “I’m male enough to want to mark my territory,” he said, sounding embarrassed. "I want everyone to know that you belong to me. Oh, I hate the way that sounds!”

“I kind of like it,” I said, grinning. “What did you have in mind?”

He held out the hand he’d had behind his back, and opened it, palm up. On it was an exquisite gold ring set with sapphires and diamonds. "It was my grandmother’s,” he said softly. "I want to get you your own ring, but I’d like you to wear this until I can, if you’d like to.”

My heart melted some more. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much longer I was expected to survive with such a squishy, melted heart. "Oh, Tom, I’d be honored,” I said softly, and held out my left hand towards him. “Will you put it on for me?” He slid it on my finger, and surprisingly, it fit quite well. “It’s beautiful,” I said, bending forward to kiss him.

Our lips clung, and when I felt his tongue, I didn’t hesitate a moment, but I opened instantly for him, and my tongue met his as we explored each other’s mouths, taking turns back and forth between us. I felt his hands under my shirt, unfastening my bra, and when he gently pinched both my nipples, rolling them between thumbs and forefingers, l moaned. He broke the kiss to pull my shirt over my head, then pulled off his own and took me in his arms again, and I rubbed myself against his bare chest, thrilling to the skin-on-skin contact. He cupped my face in both hands, tilting my head to the exact angle he wanted, continuing to plunder my mouth with his tongue. He took one of my hands and pressed it against his growing erection.

“See what you do to me,” he breathed in my ear as he bucked his hips against my hand. “Are you going to take care of me, Bethy?”

Slipping my hand inside his sweat pants and boxers, I took his now-hard cock in my hand. Slowly I stroked it, loving the feel of the smooth, soft skin over the underlying hardness, and he moaned softly. “What would you like, tonight? How can I best please you?”

Blushing, I forced myself to tell him what I was really wanting. “I want to suck you off while you lick me, and then I want you to fuck me, hard.”

“I’d like that, too,” he murmured. “Let’s go upstairs."

“Your pancakes are cold,” I said distractedly. “And I should go turn off the stove.”

He stood, and taking my hands, pulled me to my feet. “Stay here, I’ll get it,” he said. In no time, he was back. “Come with me,” he said, holding out a hand to me, and leading me upstairs to his bedroom.

He dropped his sweats and boxers and laid down on his bed, and I kicked off my shoes, and took off my jeans and knickers. Looking up at me, grinning, he said, “Come sit on my face.”

I moved to the bed, straddling his head with my thighs, my pussy wet and eager for his mouth, and when I felt him lick me bottom to top, I gasped. I leaned forward and grasped his cock firmly about the base, then licked the head before taking it into my mouth. I sucked it gently, before I began to move up and down on him, relaxing my throat til I was swallowing him. He continued to pleasure me as well, finally inserting two fingers and instantly finding my g-spot. I was so close, it was distracting me from taking care of him. “Let it go, Bethy," he said, before sucking my clit into his mouth, and I came, gloriously, my inner muscles clamping down on his fingers. I breathed his name on a sigh.

As soon as I had recovered, I began swallowing him in earnest. He was bucking his hips against me and I sucked harder and moved faster, swirling my tongue around the head on the upstrokes. “God, Bethany, I’m going to shoot into your mouth,” he groaned, and everything tightened up, and I knew he was so, so close. I hummed my approval, and in the next moment, his cock spasmed in my mouth, releasing his hot cum down my throat.

I collapsed on top of him, still facing his feet, feeling sated and spent, and yet eager for the next go round. “I still want you,” I murmured, taking his now-soft cock in my hand, squeezing and stroking it back to life. It didn’t take long til he was once again fully erect. “Now fuck me, Tom,” l said, whimpering a little. “I need to feel your hard cock in my wet pussy.”

He rolled me to my hands and knees and I placed my chest on the bed and angled my arse in the air. He took his cock in his hand, rubbing the head of it against my clit before easing inside of me. He slid in slowly, pausing every inch or so, and I moaned in protest.

“What’s the matter, love?” he asked me teasingly.

“Shit, Tom, just fuck me!” I whined. “Fuck me hard!”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he grunted, and began slamming into me. At this angle, his cock hit my g-spot with each stroke, and when he reached around me and started fingering my clit, I felt my orgasm hit. I think I’ve mentioned that he knows several tricks for prolonging a girl’s climax, and he used them all on me. I was screaming by the time I was done, my completion causing him to lose his rhythm. Frantically, he rutted at me, until with a groan, he stiffened and shot deep inside me.

We stayed that way for a moment, until, softening, he slipped out of me. Laying on his back, he pulled me into his arms, kissing my forehead softly. “I love you Bethy,” he murmured.

“I love you, too, Tom,” I said. Propping myself up on my elbow, I admired my ring, turning my hand this way and that, liking the way the stones caught the light. "This is really beautiful,” I said softly. “I’m honored that you would want me to wear your grandmothers’ ring. Can I ask you a silly question?” I looked down at him hopefully.

“Of course,” he said softly. “What is it?”

“You said you wanted everyone to know that I’m yours, and that’s why you wanted me to wear a ring.”

“Yes,” he said. “Is that OK?”

I bit my lip. ”What if I kinda want everyone to know you’re mine? Would you wear a ring, too?”

He thought about that for a moment, his lips pursed. I could almost see the gears turning in his head. “Sure, why not?” he said, after a minute.

Well, that made me smile. “Really?” I said happily, and when he nodded, I went on. “I have a claddagh that was my father’s, back at my flat. If I go get it tomorrow, will you wear it as a symbol of our pledge to each other?”

“Of course," he said lovingly, kissing me softly. “You have my heart. I belong to you, Bethany.”

“Oh, Tom, I love you so!” I said, and tightening my arms around his neck, I kissed him with all of the love in my soul.


	30. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I always think the Tom chapters should be easier to write, since I kinda know where they’re going. But in a lot of ways, they’re harder. They’re always longer, because Tom talks too much, and this one is the longest yet. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 30, Tom

Good lord, what had I done? Said the first stupid thing that came into my head, and I knew it was too soon, and I knew she was going to balk, and possibly even run. What would I do if l lost her, if I drove her away? Stupid, stupid, stupid…

“Oh, Tom!” she gaped, and gasped, and collapsed onto her knees to the floor. I was at her side in an instant, putting the cup of tea, which miraculously hadn’t spilled when I’d fallen asleep, onto the table, before dropping to my knees beside her, slipping one arm around her shoulders for support.

My eloquence and quick wit totally deserting me, I immediately began spouting apologies and explanations, but, I was panicked, and I’m afraid it all came out rather a jumbled mess. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was dreaming, and then I woke up and you were standing there, and I didn’t think, I just said the first thing that popped into my head… I didn’t mean it… that is, I meant it, but I didn’t mean to say it, not now… It just slipped out. I was dreaming, and we have four little ones… the oldest is Hannah, she’s about seven… and there’s another little girl about three, and a little boy. And a baby… I don’t know what gender! And it was story time, and I read ‘Shadow Castle’ with character voices, and the little ones were laughing… oh, I don’t even know their names… and we had biscuits and milk… And, oh god, Bethany, please marry me!” Fuck, I’d said it again! I stopped, and clapped one hand over my mouth, trying for some semblance of intelligent verbiage, but it just wasn’t on, and I started right in again, babbling. "No, I’m sorry… I just… Bethany, I love you so much, and I know we’ve only known each other a week, but I want what was in my dream, and I know I won’t change my mind… No, no, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Shit, now I was crying, for fuck’s sake. Really intelligent and manly, Hiddleston.

She reached out and cupped my face with one hand, caressing, and wiping at my tears, stopping my mouth with her thumb. "Shhh, you’re repeating yourself,” she said softly. “That has to mean that it’s my turn.”

I looked at her, so grateful she wasn’t running, amazed at this woman who is my Bethany. But what was she going to say? Surely she was going to shut me down, and I felt myself giving into my nervous ticks of lip licking and hair stroking, preparing for my heart to be crushed.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“What?” I said stupidly, losing my balance and falling back onto my bum. For a moment, I really didn’t know what was happening, if I had heard her right. Or perhaps, was I still dreaming?

“I love you, Tom,” she said quietly. “Last week, when you had your accident, and today, first, when you didn’t answer the phone at lunch, and just now when I called before I left work and you didn’t answer… well, I had a small taste of what it would be like to lose you. It doesn’t matter that we’ve only known each other a week. I love you, and I want — no, I need — you in my life. I love you, Tom. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

Damn. I tried to say something, but I had no words, I was so shocked. Her reaction was so totally unexpected, and I was momentarily torn between disbelief and elation, and so she went on.

“I want to be with you, Tom,” she said. “I want to grow old with you. But, I think we probably ought to wait a while before we do it. Get married, I mean. We have to tell our families, and doesn’t Luke have to spin it, or something?”

Finally, that got through to me. It was all happening so fast, and suddenly, I had an inkling of where she had been coming from. “God, Luke!" I said. "You’re right! No one even knows we’re dating, let alone getting married!”

The spell seemingly broken, she got stiffly to her feet, reaching down both hands to me. “Let’s get you back up on to the couch.”

I stood up and went back to the couch, taking my cup of tea and sipping at it absently. Aagg, it was cold, but I was so dazed that I hardly noticed. I still couldn’t quite believe that she’d said yes, and the reality of it hadn’t really hit me yet.

“I can’t believe you said yes, just like that, with no arguments,” I said incredulously. "Who are you, and what have you done with my Bethy?”

“I know, I should have argued,” she said, grinning. “I intended to, but, it just didn’t seem right to torture you, when it’s what I want, too.” A scared look came over her face, and my heart sank as I thought she was going to come to her senses and change her mind, crushing me flat with a refusal. But joy returned when she asked, “You do want this, don’t you, Tom?”

“Oh, god yes, Bethany,” I breathed. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more, but we also had to be reasonable, as Bethany always says, so I said, “I agree with you, though, we need to get everything in order before we can."

“Where do we start?” she asked. “With our families? Or do you have to tell Luke first?”

“I want to tell my mum. And my dad and my sisters,” I said, grinning. This was for real! "Then, we can tell Luke. The set’s still closed, right?” She nodded, so I went on. ”Then we still have some time.”

She stood, heading for the kitchen. “What would you like for dinner?” she asked me, looking back at me.

I asked for the first thing I could think of. “Would you make me pancakes?” I asked, plaintively, whining a little, I suppose.

“Tom, yes, I’ll make you pancakes,” she said, her hands on her hips, a little attitude in her stance. What? “But you’ve gotta stop with those eyes. Seriously, you’re killing me here!”

Huh? “I don’t know what you mean,” I said, because I genuinely had no clue what she was talking about. “What?”

She came over and stood in front of me, looking down. “You get this look in your eyes, Tom," she said, as if explaining to a child. Oh, our children… Focus, Tom! She continued. “It’s kind of wistful, but hopeful, and pleading. The internet calls it ‘puppy eyes.’”

This was news to me. The internet has names for my expressions? Seriously? Shit. “You’re joking,” I said flatly.

“No, I’m not!” she said insistently. “You could make me do anything with that look, mister, it’s that powerful! But it wouldn’t be gentlemanly, so don’t do it!”

Oh, really? Well, that was food for future thought. I chuckled, and said, “I’ll keep that under advisement. Now, make me pancakes, woman!” I tried to think of what my expression had been, and to consciously duplicate it, and I don’t know whether it worked or not, but, she went to make me pancakes.

Finally! Now that I knew she would be busy for a while, I quietly got up and made my way upstairs. Bethany was going to marry me! She was mine! Fuck, my feet barely felt like they were touching the floor, I was so uncontrollably excited. And I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! Bethany Murrow is going to marry me! She’s going to be my wife!

I couldn’t do that, not yet, but tucked up in my bedroom, where I keep a lot of childhood treasures and mementos, I have a little box, with a ring that my gran had given me when I was about seventeen. I had just had my first disastrous relationship, my heart broken soundly, and I had retreated to her little country cottage to lick my wounds, the way I always had. No one understood me the way she did, and I miss her still. But this time, she’d wiped my tears, and went to her room, and had come back with this little box.

“When I was about your age, Tommy,” she’d said, "and I had my heart broken for the first time, my nana gave me this," and she handed me the box. "She told me to keep it safe for someone special, and you know, when I met your grandda, I knew I had. Do you know, he wore this on a chain around his neck, from the day of our betrothal, until our wedding night, when he gave it back to me. He said I would know when the time was right to give it away again, and I believe that time is now.”

So now, I took the ring out of the box, and made my way back downstairs. When I got closer, I could hear Bethany calling for me. Damn, I’d wanted to get back down before she found me missing!

I heard her muttering, “I can’t trust that man out of my sight for a minute!” before I heard her call, “Tom?”

I had reached the bottom of the stairs, and she saw me. I tried not to look guilty or suspicious, but I suspect I looked both.

“What are you up to?” she asked me, frowning.

“Come into the living room with me,” I said quietly, heading that way, and she followed me. I gestured for her to sit on the couch, and once she had, I sat down beside her. “Are you OK with people knowing about us?" I asked. “Like, on set, I mean?”

She seemed to think about it for a moment. “I guess so," she finally said. “Why?”

I smiled awkwardly. How could I put this so it wouldn’t sound all alpha-male, when I admitted to myself that that’s what it really was? “I’m male enough to want to mark my territory,” I said, embarrassed, settling for the truth. "I want everyone to know that you belong to me. Oh, I hate the way that sounds!”

“I kind of like it,” she said, grinning. Damn, I love this woman! “What did you have in mind?”

I held out my hand, opened it, and showed her gran’s ring. It is a pretty little thing, a gold band set with sapphires and diamonds. "It was my grandmother’s,” I told her. Someday, I’d tell her the whole story behind it, but right now didn’t seem like quite the right time, since it involved heartache, and I didn’t want any sadness to mar today. "I want to get you your own ring, but I’d like you to wear this until I can, if you’d like to.”

Her face was beautiful, as she said, "Oh, Tom, I’d be honored.” She held out her left hand and said, “Will you put it on for me?” Yes! I slid it onto her finger, and as a good omen, it was a perfect fit. “It’s beautiful,” she said, and kissed me.

One touch of her mouth, and I was gone. I licked along the seam of her lips and she opened her mouth to me and I deepened the kiss. One of the things I love the most about Bethany is, when we are making love, she is not passive. We vied for control of the kiss, our tongues dancing back and forth between our two mouths. I slipped my hands under her shirt and unhooked her bra, then I cupped her breasts in my hands, teasing the nipples, and she moaned, a sound that went straight to my cock. I broke the kiss long enough to relieve her of her shirt, then I took off my own before pulling her back into my arms again, and she nestled against me. The feel of her soft skin against mine is infinitely arousing, and I reveled in it. I took her face in my hands, tilting it just so, loving her with my lips and tongue. I took her hand and pressed it against my erection.

“See what you do to me,” I whispered in her ear, lifting my hips and pressing myself against her hand. “Are you going to take care of me, Bethy?”

She slipped her hand into my sweats and underwear, taking my cock in her hand and slowly stroking it. I was by now rock-hard, and her hand felt so good that I let out a moan. I wanted so much to make her feel even half as good as she was making me feel.

“What would you like, tonight? How can I best please you?” I whispered.

It was so sweet but so incredibly arousing that she was blushing when she said, “I want to suck you off while you lick me, and then I want you to fuck me, hard.”

Suppressing a moan, I murmured, “I’d like that, too. Let’s go upstairs."

“Your pancakes are cold,” she said, as if I cared about food at a time like this. “And I should go turn off the stove.”

Oh, well that would need doing. I stood and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. “Stay here, I’ll get it,” I told her. I went in, switched off the burner, and was right back with her again. “Come with me,” I said, holding out a hand to her, leading her upstairs to my room.

I quickly removed my sweats and boxers and laid down on the bed, and she took of her shoes, jeans, and knickers. I looked up at her, smiling in a way that I hoped was seductive. “Come sit on my face,” I said.

She came and straddled my head, facing my feet, offering me her cunt, wet with arousal. Eager for a taste of her, I licked her slit from bottom to top, and she gasped. She took my cock in her hand and licked the head, then taking it into her mouth, she sucked it, before beginning to move up and down, relaxing her throat til she was taking all of me. Sometimes it can be a game, who can distract who, and this day, I won, as I continued to pleasure her with my lips, teeth, and tongue. I could tell she was really close, so finally, I inserted two fingers and found her special spot. She kept trying to pleasure me, but I wanted it to be about her. “Let it go, Bethy," I urged her, sucking on her clit, and she came hard, her inner muscles grabbing my fingers, and my cock twitched when I heard her sigh my name.

I held her as she rode out her orgasm, loving the taste and smell of her, but soon she resumed her moving up and down on my cock, swallowing me all the way. I tried not to choke her, but as I got closer, I lost control, and began to fuck her mouth, and she sucked harder and moved faster, swirling her tongue around my head on every upstroke. “God, Bethany, I’m going to shoot into your mouth,” I groaned, and she hummed in her throat, and I felt it in my toes, and in the next moment, my orgasm claimed me, and my cock spasmed in her mouth, sending my cum down her throat.

Spent, she collapsed on top of me, still facing my feet. “I still want you,” she murmured, thrilling me to the core, and she took my flaccid cock in her hand, massaging and stroking it, and soon l was hard again. “Now fuck me, Tom,” she said, her tone erotic. “I need to feel your hard cock in my wet pussy.”

Fuck. I urged her to her hands and knees, and she wiggled her arse at me. Well, two can play at the teasing game, so I took my cock in my hand, rubbing the head of it against her clit, then slowly slipping it inside of her. I slid in slowly, inch by inch, and she moaned in protest.

“What’s the matter, love?” I asked her playfully.

“Shit, Tom, just fuck me!” she whined. “Fuck me hard!”

“I thought you’d never ask,” I grunted, and with her encouragement, I began thrusting into her fast and hard. At this angle, I knew l could hit her g-spot with each stroke, and when I reached around her and found her clit, I felt her climax start. I moved in such a way that I knew would prolong her orgasm, using my cock and hand to stimulate her until she screamed her release. I was so close myself, that my rhythm faltered, and desperately I thrust into her, until with a groan, I stiffened and shot deep inside her.

We stayed that way for a moment, cuddling, until I softened and slipped out of her. Laying on my back, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her forehead. “I love you Bethy,” I murmured.

“I love you, too, Tom,” she said. Propping herself up on her elbow, she gazed at the ring, turning her hand and looking at it from all angles, her face full of wonder and delight, and I was glad that I’d had it to give to her. I said a little thank-you to my gran, wherever she is. 

”This is really beautiful,” Bethany said softly. “I’m honored that you would want me to wear your grandmother’s ring. Can I ask you a silly question?” She looked down at me wistfully.

“Of course,” I said softly. “What is it?”

“You said you wanted everyone to know that I’m yours, and that’s why you wanted me to wear a ring.”

“Yes,” I said. It still felt a little, I don’t know, testosterone-fueled. “Is that OK?”

She bit her lip, and for a split second, I thought maybe I’d asked too much. But no, she seemed to really like the ring. "What if I kinda want everyone to know you’re mine? Would you wear a ring, too?” she asked me.

Of course, it made me think of my grandda wearing the very ring she now had on her finger, for over a year while he was overseas fighting in the war, and how he’d come home to my gran, marrying her and giving it back to her on their wedding night, and her keeping it all those years, until giving hope with it when she gave it to a heart-broken teenaged boy. “Sure,“ I said finally. "Why not?”

Her smile brought joy to my heart, and I realized in that moment, that I would do just about anything to keep her smiling like that.

“Really?” she asked me happily, and I nodded. “I have a claddagh that was my father’s, back at my flat," she said. “If I go get it tomorrow, will you wear it as a symbol of our pledge to each other?”

“Of course," I said loving her, kissing her softly. “You have my heart. I belong to you, Bethany.”

“Oh, Tom, I love you so!” she said, holding me and kissing me, til my heart sang with it.


	31. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Telling the family...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe I’ve written something this long.

Chapter 31, Bethany

Later that evening, Tom stayed in the living room to call his parents, while I went into his den to call mine. Evidently, Lance had been in contact with Ezra, because mum and dad knew l was dating Tom, but not that I was engaged to him, of course.

“So, kiddo, Ezra tells us you are keeping time with the Loki chap,” my dad said. I could hear the smile in his voice, and then my mum, who must have had her head right next to his, said, “Oh, Bethany, he’s so handsome, all that pale skin and long black hair.”

I chuckled. “Mum, he doesn’t actually look like that in real life,” I said, trying to suppress my grin. "That was just a character he was playing. In real life he’s blond, with a very ruddy complexion, although, right now, his hair is kind of ginger. He’s all about his craft.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure he’s still very handsome,” mum said, sounding doubtful.

“Oh, yes, mum, he really is!” I said. “But more than that, he’s really nice. He’s talented, and intelligent, and funny, and charming, and sweet…”

“Is it serious, then, dear?” mum asked. “It sounds as if you’ve lost your heart.”

“Yes, mum, I have,” I said softly. “That’s actually why I’m calling. Mum, this afternoon Tom asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

I heard my mum squealing at the other end of the phone, and then telling my father about my engagement. Then, she came back on the line. “Bethany, tell us all about it!”

“Well,” I said, “we aren’t going to rush into the wedding, but I wanted to let you know that we’re engaged, because Tom’s press people are going to have to make an announcement, and I didn’t want you to read about it in the entertainment section of the newspaper before I could tell you. Tom’s quite popular; it’s going to create a fairly big stir.”

“Well, obviously, when you’ve set a date, we’ll have to talk about it,” mum said indulgently.

“Of course, mum,” I agreed “I don’t know when it will be, though. We’re working on a film together right now, so we probably won’t even talk about it until after it’s finished.”

“Well, that’s lovely, dear,” mum said, and I knew I’d pretty much reached the end of her attention span. She’s just not as sharp as she used to be. “It was so nice to hear from you, Bethany, dear.”

“You, too, mum!” I said. “I love you!”

“We love you, too, dear!” mum said, and I heard my dad echo it. “Goodbye now.”

“Bye, mum and dad,” I said.

When I got back to the living room, Tom was still on the phone. I knew he was going to call his mum, his dad, and Luke, but I didn’t know who he may have already called, or who he was speaking with now. I sat down next to him, tucking my feet up under me and putting my head on his shoulder.

“Look, Luke,” he said, so then I knew. "Why don’t you just come over tonight and we can talk about it in person? This over-the-phone stuff is so hard for me, you know.”

He got a big grin on his face, then held the phone away from his mouth. “He’s got a date with Lance tonight,” he whispered to me, before saying into the phone, “Well, bring him, too. We can have a late supper.”

Luke was talking again, and then Tom said, “Look, Luke this just isn’t something I want to tell you over the phone, but if you insist, I guess I’ll have to.”

He listened for a while, then chuckled, “Excellent. We’ll expect you and Lance about eight then. Thanks, Luke.”

“Are they bringing the dinner, or do we need to order it?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair. He bent down and kissed me. “They’re bringing it,” he murmured, pressing his face against my neck.

“Did you call your folks?” I asked, my eyes closed. He was rubbing my back now, and his long fingers felt wonderful.

“I did," he said happily. “You and I are having dinner at mum’s tomorrow. Emma will be there, and we’re going to try to facetime Sarah in India.” Sarah was his older sister.

“And your dad?” I asked.

“He said, congratulations," Tom said, grinning at me, “and he asked if you were pretty. I told him you were hideous, but that you had a good heart.”

I swatted him on the chest. “You did not!” I said, pretending to frown.

“Actually, I did,” he said, giving me a noisy kiss. “But I don’t think he believed me!”

***

Luke and Lance were right on time, with a box full of Chinese takeaway. After hugging them both, I left the men in the living room and went into the kitchen to get plates and cutlery. “Let’s eat first, and then we can discuss developments,” I suggested, suddenly hoping to stall. I don’t know what I was afraid of, but I was dreading telling Luke about our engagement.

We ate companionably, chit-chatting about nothing of real consequence. Luke and Lance obviously hadn’t waited until their date on Friday, and they told us that they had actually had lunch together today, then agreed to dinner as well. They were moving as fast as Tom and I had, and I thought that they looked good together. I could tell that Lance was really happy, and Luke looked healthier and better rested than I had ever seen him look.

Finally, we were done eating, and the time had come to talk about what needed to happen for Tom’s career. Tom put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

“OK, well, Luke,” Tom began, “and you, too Lance, of course, the thing is, earlier today, I asked Bethany to marry me, and she said yes. So, now what do we do?” Tom sat there, looking at Luke expectantly, a big smile on his face.

“Excuse me, what?” Luke asked, frowning. "I can’t possibly have heard you right.” He and Lance exchanged glances, then they both looked at us. “I thought I just heard you say that you’ve just gotten engaged to someone you’ve only known for about a week.”

“Yes, you heard me right,” Tom said, frowning. “So what’s the next step?”

“Well, hell,” Luke said, standing up and starting to pace. “Your public doesn’t even know you’re dating. How can I possibly issue a statement saying you’re engaged?”

“Can you work into it gradually?” Tom asked. “Issue a little blurb saying we’re dating? Or, maybe we should just go out, and let some paparazzi catch us.”

“You can’t, Tom,” I said quietly. “You’re on bed rest.”

“Damn, you’re right,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I feel so good, I totally forgot.”

“Well, I remember,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “And if you saw yourself in a mirror, you’d remember fairly quickly as well, I suspect!”

In the end, Luke said that tomorrow, he would release a little statement to the effect that we were an item, and that sometime over the weekend, he would break the news of our engagement. If all went well, we would be traveling to Cambridge over the weekend, and maybe we could arrange to be seen together. It would perhaps come as less of a shock if they had a visual of a face to go along with the name.

After Luke and Lance left, I tried to talk Tom into going to bed, but he insisted that he wasn’t tired.

“Actually, I’ve got a giant case of cabin fever, Bethany!” he declared, heaving an exaggerated sigh. “I’d give anything to get out of this house! Couldn’t we go for a drive, of something? Sitting in the car isn’t that much different than sitting on this couch!”

I knew that he was probably feeling even worse than he was saying. He has so much restless energy; just sitting around the house, reading and watching telly, was probably the equivalent of torture for him.

“I know,” he said excitedly. “Let’s go to your flat and get your father’s ring. That way, you won’t have to make the trip tomorrow, and you can come right home to me after filming, plus, it will get me out of the house, and then, I’ll be able to wear my engagement ring!”

He sounded so eager, like a little boy, and I wasn’t sure which of the reasons he had given was the most compelling to him, but I decided that he was probably right, that it would hurt him at all to go for a ride in the car.

“OK, Tom,” I said indulgently. “We can go to my flat to get your ring. I am driving, of course.”

“Of course,” he said. Suddenly, he got a mischievous look on his face. “Hey, would you like to drive the Jag?”

“Oh, Tom, could I?” I breathed. “You’d let me do that?”

“You won’t crash it, will you?” he asked impishly.

“I’ll have you know, I have a perfect driving record!” I said, pretending to be indignant.

“Well, then,” he said with one of his huge smiles, “let me get the keys.”

Tom’s Jag is the most luxurious car I’ve ever been in, and I had never driven anything like it. It was a little scary, there’s so much power, but it was easier than I feared it might be, and in no time, we were at my flat. Tom is so used to being driven, that he’s an easy passenger, and he didn’t make me nervous at all.

Tom is always a gentleman, and I know it totally irked him to not be able to come around and open my door, but the last time he’d tried, I’d yelled at him. It was a nice gesture, and normally I really appreciate it, but it isn’t necessary, and since he was supposed to be on bed rest, such things were a nicety that he just didn’t need to be doing. Instead, I went around and opened his door.

“Do you want to come in and see my flat?” I asked him.

“Sure,” he said, getting out of the car. We held hands as we walked up to my door. I unlocked it, and Tom followed me down the hall to the living room. He walked over to the couch, standing there looking down at it.

“Was this where you were sitting the night I came to apologize and you told Lance to tell me to fuck off?”

“Um, yes,” I said guiltily. “I’m sorry I wouldn’t listen to you that night, Tom. It was really above and beyond of you to come and try to say you were sorry. Although, calling Danny and getting my contact information, that’s a little stalkerish.”

Now, he looked guilty. “I know,” he said. “I was just so desperate to make it right between us.”

Suddenly, I felt so overwhelmed with love for him. I rushed to him and threw myself into his arms. ”Tom, I love you so much!” I cried, kissing him thoroughly.

He held me tightly, returning my kiss, his hands rubbing up and down my back. “I love you, my Bethy,” he said softly. “Which way is your room?”

I took his hand and led him down the hall to my tiny little room. He walked around as much as he could, looking at my books and knick knacks and photos.

“You have a single bed,” he murmured. “I guess I won’t try to have my way with you here.”

“Again, Tom?” I asked, one brow raised. “You’re insatiable!”

“You have no idea,” he said lowly, drawing me into his arms and kissing me again. When he broke the kiss, we were both breathing heavily. “Let’s get my ring, then get back to my house.”

“Good idea,” I said breathlessly, reluctantly leaving his embrace. I went to my dresser, and got dad’s claddagh from my jewelry box.

Tom held his left hand out, fingers extended, the way I had earlier. “Put it on me,” he said softly.

“I hope it fits,” I said, orienting it properly and slipping it on his finger.

“Well, look at that,” he said, surprised. “A perfect fit. It’s a good omen, Bethy. Clearly, we are meant to be!”


	32. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Tom’s POV. Once again, his chapter is much longer than Bethany’s ehehehe… He just never shuts up! I kinda love that about him! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 32, Tom

“I need to call my parents,” Bethany said, later that evening.

“You can use my den,” I told her. “I’ll call mine, too, and then I’ll call Luke. Just come on back here when you’re done with your calls.”

“OK, thanks, Tom,” she said, kissing me quickly, then going into the den. I decided to call my dad first, because that would be a shorter call, and I got out my phone and dialed.

“Hey dad, it’s me,” I said. Dad and I have a great relationship, and it had only been a week or so since we’d spoken last, so instantly, he knew that something was up.

“Tommy, boy, what’s it about, then?” he said cheerfully. “Everything all right there?”

“Yes, dad, everything’s actually really good,” I said. “I’m calling because I’ve met someone. I love her, and we’re going to get married."

“Oh, Tom, it’s about time!” he said, chuckling warmly. “What’s her name? How did you meet her?”

“Her name’s Bethany, and we met on set for a film I’m acting in. She does my hair and makeup,” I said happily.

“Is she pretty then, son?" dad asked, and I could tell he was smiling.

“No, actually, she’s fairly hideous,” I said, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. “But she has a good heart!”

“I think I’ll have to see that for meself, Tommy boy,” he said, his accent kicking in a little. “Can you bring her round sometime so I can meet her?”

“Of course, dad,” I said. “As soon as filming allows, we’ll be over. I’ll let you know.”

“Oh, it’s happy for you, I am, Tommy. You tell your Bethany congratulations for me, and give her a kiss,” he said.

“I will dad,” I told him, “I’ll call you soon.”

“I love ya, Tommy,” he said.

“I love you, too, dad,” I told him. "Goodbye.”

“Bye, Tommy boy,” he said, and we hung up.

Next, I called mum. This call was a little easier, actually, because mum had already met Bethany. But, it’s mum, so in ways, it was much harder!

“Tom, how are you? Everything’s all right, isn’t it?” Mum said, sounding worried.

“Everything’s wonderful, mum,” I hastened to assure her. “It’s just, well, you met my girlfriend, Bethany, in the hospital…”

“Oh, a lovely girl, yes," mum cut in. “Oh, Tom, son, you haven’t done anything silly have you?”

My mum has been involved in theater for a long time, which means she has been involved with and has known a lot of actors over the years. One of her biggest fears is that I will do an ‘actor-thing,’ and do something to cause a scandal. I’m not exactly sure what she worries about; get caught having sex in public, or make a sex tape, or public drunkenness, or something. I could tell from her tone of voice that she was anticipating the worst.

“No, mum, I haven’t done anything silly,” I said, chuckling. “At least, I don’t think it’s silly.”

“Well, Tom, you didn’t hurt that girl, did you?” mum asked sternly. "She is totally smitten with you, and if you’ve used your fame to take advantage of her, well that would be just shameful!”

“Mum, stop,” I said firmly. “I’m calling to tell you we’ve become engaged. I’ve asked her to marry me and she’s said yes!”

“Oh, Tom, that’s wonderful!” She sighed, and I could tell she was all smiles now. “You must come for dinner tomorrow night, the both of you. I’ll call Emma as well, and we can all facetime Sarah.”

“Mum, what a great idea!” I said. “Bethany’s usually home from location by seven. Is seven-thirty all right?”

“Perfect, son,” mum said. “Of course, I know you’re still supposed to be on bed rest, so you’ll have to remember that, but I bet it will be nice for you to get out for a bit.”

“Mum, you know me well!” I said. “We’ll see you tomorrow night. Goodbye, mum.”

“Goodbye, Tom. See you tomorrow, dear.” And mum rang off.

Just Luke left. I dialed his number. “Hello, Tom, what’s up?” he asked, after answering on the first ring.

“Luke, there have been some developments we need to talk about,” I began. “You’re going to have to do a little scrambling, and you’re probably not going to be too happy with me.”

“I’m already not," Luke said warily. “And I don’t think I like the sound of this.”

Bethany, evidently done with her calls, came in then, curling up next to me on the couch and putting her head on my shoulder.

“Look, Luke,” I said, cajolingly. "Why don’t you just come over tonight and we can talk about it in person? This over-the-phone stuff is so hard for me, you know.”

“Well, if you must know, I’m having dinner with Lance tonight,” he said, sounding defiant, and embarrassed. Evidently, they weren’t waiting til Friday to see each other again, and I grinned. Holding the phone away from my mouth, I turned to Bethany and whispered, “he’s got a date with Lance tonight,” then, once more speaking into the phone to Luke, said, “Well, bring him, too. We can have a late supper.”

“Maybe Lance and I want to be alone, Tom, have you thought of that?” he said frustratedly. “Can’t you just tell me now what this is all about?”

“Look, Luke this just isn’t something I want to tell you over the phone, but if you insist, I guess I’ll have to,” but god, I really didn’t want to tell him about our engagement over the phone. I knew it was going to cause problems, and I knew he would be unhappy with me. It just really wasn’t the sort of thing you solved over the phone. I could hear him talking to someone in the background, then he came back to me.

“All right, fine,” Luke said resignedly. “But know that we’re not doing this for you! Lance wants to do this for Bethany. He promised her brother that he’d look after her, and he’s taken that promise very seriously. We’ll bring dinner. Let’s aim for around eight.”

I chuckled, pleased to have gotten my way. “Excellent. We’ll expect you and Lance about eight then. Thanks, Luke.”

“You’re welcome, Tom. Goodbye.” Click. He’d hung up on me.

“Are they bringing the dinner, or do we need to order it?” Bethany asked, running her fingers through my hair. I love it when she does that, and so I kissed her. “They’re bringing it,” I said absently, nuzzling her neck.

“Did you call your folks?” she asked, relaxing as I ran my hands up and down her back, kneading gently.

“I did," I said happily. “You and I are having dinner at mum’s tomorrow. Emma will be there, and we’re going to try to facetime Sarah in India.”

“And your dad?” she asked.

“He said, congratulations," I told her, grinning, “and he asked if you were pretty. I told him you were hideous, but that you had a good heart.”

“You did not!” she said, frowning and wacking me on the chest.

“Actually, I did,” I said, kissing her soundly. “But I don’t think he believed me!”

***

Luke and Lance arrived pretty much on time, and they’d brought Chinese takeaway. After hugging them both, Bethany went into the kitchen to get plates and cutlery. I hated not being able to be the host in my own home, but l knew that if I expected the doctor to clear me for Friday, I had best behave myself. Plus, I loved the easy way that Bethany had slipped into my life, taking on the role of hostess so naturally.

“Let’s eat first, and then we can discuss developments,” she said now, bringing the utensils for our meal. She sounded nervous, and I gave her a reassuring smile as she sat down beside me.

By unspoken agreement, we ate companionably, not talking about anything important, the way Bethany had suggested. Luke and Lance had apparently had lunch together that day, then had agreed to dinner as well, and I was pleased that they were getting on so well together. Lance seemed really happy, and Luke looked so much better, happy and rested, than he had since his breakup with Richard.

When we were all done eating, I put my arm around Bethany’s shoulders and drew her to me, kissing her on the top of the head.

“OK, well, Luke,” I began, “and you, too Lance, of course, the thing is, earlier today, I asked Bethany to marry me, and she said yes. So, now what do we do?” I smiled at Luke, eyebrows raised inquiringly.

“Excuse me, what?” Luke asked, frowning. "I can’t possibly have heard you right.” He and Lance exchanged glances, then they both looked at us. “I thought I just heard you say that you’ve just gotten engaged to someone you’ve only known for about a week.”

“Yes, you heard me right,” I said, brows drawn down. “So what’s the next step?”

“Well, hell,” Luke said, standing up and starting to pace. “Your public doesn’t even know you’re dating. How can I possibly issue a statement saying you’re engaged?”

“Can you work into it gradually?” I asked reasonably. “Issue a little blurb saying we’re dating? Or, maybe we should just go out, and let some paparazzi catch us.”

“You can’t, Tom,” Bethany said quietly. “You’re on bed rest.”

Shit. Too bad. It really would have been the easiest way to handle it, but I needed to abide by Doc’s rules for Friday. “Damn, you’re right,” I said, running my hand over my hair. “I feel so good, I totally forgot.” And actually, I truly had forgotten. I really did feel great.

“Well, I remember,” Bethany said, narrowing her eyes at me. Of course she did. Oh, Bethany, she takes such good care of me. “And if you saw yourself in a mirror, you’d remember fairly quickly as well, I suspect!” Oh, the black eyes and the bruises.

In the end, Luke said that tomorrow, he would release a little statement to the effect that we were an item, and that sometime over the weekend, he would break the news of our engagement. If all went well, the entire film crew would be traveling to Cambridge over the weekend, and maybe during that we could ‘arrange’ to be seen together. In my opinion, that is the fastest and best way to inform my fans that I have a girlfriend. General chaos usually erupts among a sizeable portion of my fanbase, but it really can’t be helped.

After Luke and Lance left, Bethany put her arms around me. “You should go to bed, Tom,” she said, kissing me gently. “You need your rest.”

“Bethany, I’m too keyed up to be tired,” I replied, giving a heavy sigh. “I could never get to sleep yet. Actually, I’ve got a giant case of cabin fever, Bethany! I’d give anything to get out of this house! Couldn’t we go for a drive, of something? Sitting in the car isn’t that much different than sitting on this couch!”

I’m just not used to sitting around the house. I’m usually learning scripts, or running lines, and I’d missed my morning runs. I was so full of pent-up energy that I thought I might explode. Then, it came to me: what a great idea!

“I know,” I told her. “Let’s go to your flat and get your father’s ring. That way, you won’t have to make the trip tomorrow, and you can come right home to me after filming, plus, it will get me out of the house, and then, I’ll be able to wear my engagement ring!”

It would get me out of this house! And, it would mean I wouldn’t be apart from her any longer than I had to be tomorrow, as I found the day too long with nothing to do and her not there. Plus, I found myself looking forward to sporting a tangible reminder of our commitment to each other. Seeing her wearing my gran’s ring, and knowing my granddad had prized wearing it, I thought it might become a lovely Hiddleston family tradition, that the men also wore engagement rings.

“OK, Tom,” she said, humoring me. “We can go to my flat to get your ring. I am driving, of course.”

“Of course,” I said. Hmmm; I wondered if she’d like to drive my car. It would certainly be more comfortable to ride in. I’m so tall, I’m a tight fit in most economy models. “Hey, would you like to drive the Jag?” I asked.

“Oh, Tom, could I?” she asked, sounding awed. “You’d let me do that?”

Actually, I trusted her implicitly. Teasingly, I asked, “You won’t crash it, will you?”

“I’ll have you know, I have a perfect driving record!” she said indignantly.

“Well, then,” I said, smiling, “let me get the keys.”

I could tell that she was a little nervous, but the Jag is really easy and fun to drive, and Bethany really is a very good driver. I felt totally at ease with her behind the wheel, and in no time, we were at her flat.

Once we got there, I stayed in my seat, gritting my teeth. The last time I’d popped out of the car, jogging around to open Bethany’s door, she’d yelled at me. I was on bed rest, blah blah blah, opening her door was a luxury I couldn’t afford if I want doctor‘s approval for filming on Friday, blah blah blah. So, I watched Bethany open her own door, and then she came around to my side, opening my door for me! I couldn’t wait for this bed rest thing to be over! It was so frustrating!

“Do you want to come in and see my flat?” she asked me.

“Sure,” I said, getting out of the car. We held hands as we walked up to the door. Bethany unlocked it, and I followed her down the hall to the living room. Ah, her couch. Bet this is where she was sitting the night we’d had our fight, the night I’d made her cry, the night I heard her voice tell Lance to tell me to fuck off when I’d come to apologize.

“Was this where you were sitting the night I came to apologize and you told Lance to tell me to fuck off?” I don’t know why it was sticking in my mind, but, it just wasn’t one of my brighter moments.

“Um, yes,” she said, sounding guilty. “I’m sorry I wouldn’t listen to you that night, Tom. It was really above and beyond of you to come and try to say you were sorry. Although, calling Danny and getting my contact information, that’s a little stalkerish.”

Well, OK, maybe she had a point. “I know,” I finally said. “I was just so desperate to make it right between us.”

I knew I’d gotten through to her, because she threw herself into my arms. "Tom, I love you so much!” she cried, kissing me thoroughly.

I held her tightly, this woman I love, returning her kiss, rubbing my hands up and down her back. 

“I love you, my Bethy,” I said softly. “Which way is your room?” Our kiss had awakened my cock, of course, and fortunately, I was wearing loose sweatpants, so I don’t think Bethany noticed. But she doesn’t have to do much to get me going, which I think she knows.

She took my hand again and led me down the hall to her room. Oh, it’s teeny tiny, and she only has a tiny single bed. I’m too tall, it’s not ever a comfortable fit by myself, let alone with another person. Still, I checked out all her little personal things, delighted in learning what means the most to her, the things she treasures.

“You have a single bed,” I couldn’t help commenting. Truly, my cock was fairly disappointed. “I guess I won’t try to have my way with you here.”

“Again, Tom?” she asked, one brow raised. “You’re insatiable!”

Definitely, where she is concerned, it’s true. And if she’d had a double bed, we would have been on it by then. “You have no idea,” I said lowly, pulling her into my arms and kissing us both breathless. “Let’s get my ring, then get back to my house.”

“Good idea,” she said, gasping, pulling away from me reluctantly. She went to her dresser, and got her dad’s claddagh from a jewelry box.

Mimicking her actions from earlier, I held out my left hand, fingers extended. “Put it on me,” I said softly.

“I hope it fits,” she said, turning it right, heart facing out, and slipping it on my finger.

It was as if it had been made for me. “Well, look at that,” I said, surprised. “A perfect fit. It’s a good omen, Bethy. Clearly, we are meant to be!”

Note: Traditionally, a claddagh may be worn as an engagement ring by either a man or a woman, on the left hand with the heart facing out. Worn on the left hand, heart facing in, signifies that the wearer is married.


	33. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m pretty happy with the way this chapter turned out, so I hope you like it, too. It’s really long for a Bethany chapter; you know what that means for the Tom one, ehehehehe! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 33, Bethany

I was nervous about dinner at Tom’s mum’s, so of course, the day flew by. Unlike the day before, which had dragged. At least I wasn’t nearly as worried about Tom; he had shown me thoroughly that he was well on the mend, and I contented myself with only texting him every other hour to check in, plus a nice phone call, so that I could hear his voice, at lunch. He assured me that he was staying down, resting, and there was such longing in his voice, that in that way, I was glad the day was passing swiftly, so that I could return to him and be with him, even though the thought of the evening to come was scaring me.

One incident did happen on set that disturbed me, and at the time, I forced myself to keep calm about it, and told myself to not over-react. I was sitting at a table, having lunch with Jay and Clarice, when I overheard Kate and Jennifer, who were sitting at a table near ours.

“I miss Tom,” Kate said, “I wonder how he’s doing.” 

I thought she sounded really nice, and I looked over and opened my mouth to tell her he was good, when Jennifer spoke. “Yeah, he and Jay are just so funny together, all the practical jokes. It’s just not quite as fun without Tom.”

Well, that was nice, too. Again, I opened my mouth to give them an update, but Jennifer wasn’t quite done. “And he’s hotter than fuck, too, and if I get a chance to tap that, I’m going for it. Who knows what can happen during the love scenes?”

After an initial, intense burst of anger, I convinced myself that they were probably both unaware of Tom and my relationship. The majority of my semi-public melt down on the day of his accident had happened after most everyone else had already left, and seeing as how he and I had only been together for a week, both actresses could certainly be forgiven for not knowing about me!

Jay met my eyes. “Are you gonna enlighten them?” he asked me quietly, his brows raised. Because he had noticed my ring right away that morning, while I was doing his makeup, and I could tell he was being genuine when he told me how happy he was for both Tom and I. “You two are amazing together," he’d said.

“No,” I said now, in answer to his question. ”I don’t want to embarrass either one of them. No reason they should know about me yet. But it’s all going to come out sooner or later.”

“You’re much more secure than I am," Clarice said admiringly, taking Jay’s hand. He smiled at her and raised her hand to his lips, kissing it gently, and I thought how cute they looked together, and wondered how I ever could have believed that Clarice hated men.

The rest of the day went without incident, and soon, I was packing up my equipment for the night, bidding a happy good evening to Jay, hugging him briskly then going to my car and driving myself to Tom’s. By the time I got there, I was a nervous wreck.

“Tom, I’m home,” l said, putting down my purse and keys and heading for the living room. No sign of Tom. I hadn’t been worried til now, but of course, now I was, so I began making my way through the house, looking to see if he was collapsed somewhere, calling his name.

He didn’t appear to be on the main floor, so I started up the stairs to see if he was up there. I got most of the way to the top of the staircase before I could hear a muffled, quiet moaning. It didn’t take long to discover it was coming from Tom’s bedroom, and I rushed and flung the door open, crying, ”Tom, are you all right?” The door crashed open against the wall, and I stood on the threshold, frozen.

Tom lay naked on the bed, his eyes clenched shut, fist around his erect cock, stroking himself frantically. His breathing was uneven, and I heard my name on his lips. As much racket as I had made, he didn’t seem to hear me at all, just kept stroking his cock, moaning softly, eyes shut tight. I’d been with him enough times to know that he was getting close, but wasn’t there yet, and I furiously tore my clothes off and began fingering my clit. The sight of him speeding his way to orgasm had me dripping, and as I watched him, pleasuring myself, I must have let out a moan of my own, and that caught his attention, more than all the noise I’d made, because his eyes flew open and his hand stilled, and he looked at me, a mixture of lust and guilt on his face. “Bethany,” he whispered.

I drew my fingers away from my sex, sticking them in my mouth, before looking at him and asking “Can I join you?”

“Shit, Bethany, get over here and fuck me!” he ground out, and l wasted no time, practically jumping on him in my haste to get him inside me. He laid me down on my back and was instantly thrusting into me, his fingers on my clit, his mouth on my neck.

“Tom, I’m gonna cum,” I whimpered, and in the next moment, my cunt spasmed around him as I reached my orgasm.

“Fuck, Bethany," he said, as mine triggered his, and I felt him cum deep inside me.

When my breathing steadied and returned to normal, I kissed him gently. “Just what I needed to relax me before meeting your mum and sister,” I murmured contentedly, rubbing myself against him.

He kissed my brow and said, surprised, "You’re not nervous about it, are you? You’ve met them before.”

“I know,” I confessed, "but yes, somehow I’m a wreck about it.”

“Well, don’t be!” he said, chuckling. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Wow, we’d better get a move on if we don’t want to be late!”

He was right, and we both jumped up, dressing quickly, and fifteen minutes later, we were dressed and on our way. Handing me the keys to the Jag, he said, “You’re driving, of course.”

“Thank you for trusting me enough to let me drive your car, Tom,” I said happily. “It really does mean a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” he said softly, kissing me gently. “You’re a good driver, and my car is more comfortable than yours.”

“Thanks a lot!” I said wryly, starting up the car and driving out. “I’d be offended on behalf of my little car, except that you’re right!”

I followed his directions, and soon we were pulling up to a neat, modest home with a lovely garden all around. “Here’s mum’s,” Tom said.

So many butterflies in my stomach! “Oh Tom, I don’t think I can do this,” l said, hands clenched around the steering wheel.

Tom began to stroke my hands and fingers with one hand, while running the other over my hair and down my back. “Come on, Bethy, it will be OK,” he said soothingly. “You’ve even met them before; you know they’re nice. And they like you." He bent and kissed my forehead. “Come on, honey.”

With the touch of his gentle fingers on mine, gradually I was able to unclench my hands, and as we got out of the car, he came around, taking me by the hand and leading me up to the front door. He knocked a couple of times, then pushed it open. “Mum, it’s me. I’ve brought Bethany,” he called, as we made our way into the house. We passed through a small foyer and into the living room.

Emma got to her feet, her face wreathed in smiles, and ran over to Tom, hesitating when she saw how battered he still looked, and then hugging him, anyway. His eyes closed as he hugged her tightly, and I could see how close they were, and it made me miss my own brothers and sis in America. I’m the youngest, and I’ve always been closest to my oldest brother Ezra, who is six years older than I am, but we were all close in our own way. My engagement to Tom meant that I now had an excuse to visit, and I made a mental note to prioritize that after filming wrapped up on this current project. When Emma was done with Tom, she grabbed me. “Bethany!” she squealed, engulfing me in a tight embrace, and instantly most of my nerves were gone.

“Hi, Emma, it’s really great to see you again!” I said warmly.

“I can’t believe someone finally snagged Tom.” She said. “He’s been resisting for years! I know you have to be amazing, because clearly he feels like he has to grab you, before someone else does!”

“It’s been really crazy,“ I admitted. “It gives me a whole other take on the phrase ‘whirlwind courtship.’ And yet, I know its right.”

Emma stepped back, looking at the two of us. “Other than the fact that Tom looks like he’s been Hulk-smashed again, you two look perfect together. Go say hi to mum." She whispered the last part.

Tom took my hand again and led me over to where his mum was sitting. He bent down and hugged her, then stood and pulled me forward. “Mum, you remember my girlfriend, Bethany," he said gently.

“Yes, of course,” she said, smiling up at me. “Well, don’t be shy, girl, give me a hug!” And just like that, the last of my nerves were gone, and I hugged her, laughing a little at the acceptance I was feeling.

Emma had disappeared, but now she came back into the room, smiling, and said, “Well, dinner’s ready, I’m starved, so let’s eat!”

Over dinner, Emma and Diana regaled me with stories of Tom growing up, a variety a tales about him being a practical joker, a devoted scholar, a dancer, an actor, a clown. At one point, I had tears in my eyes as Emma and Tom took turns recounting an epic battle they’d had with their sister Sarah and one of her friends over a box of cereal. Suffice it to say, it was much funnier the way they told it than it seems just reading about it here!

But, eventually Diana wanted to get down to business. "When are you planning to get married?” she asked, looking at us expectantly. “And how big of an affair are you expecting to have? And what type?”

“I’m afraid we really haven’t gotten that far, mum,” Tom said. "We’re definitely waiting for this film to wrap before we even talk about it.”

“That’s right," I agreed. "The entire film crew moves to Cambridge this weekend, and things are just so busy. We just know we belong together, so, we got engaged.”

Tom reached out and took my hand, squeezing my fingers gently, such a loving look on his face. “I love you,” he whispered inaudibly.

“I love you, too,” l mouthed back.

Suddenly, Emma looked at her watch, then jumped up. “Time to call Sarah!” she said excitedly. "She’s expecting us right about now!”

“Ugh!” I said. ”I don’t even want to know what time it is where she is!”

“There’s five and a half hours’ difference,” Emma said, “but she’s stayed up for us, so let’s do it!”

Emma set up her iPad, then started the facetime app, and then, there was Sarah, a pretty, blond girl only a year or so older than Tom. I didn’t see a lot of resemblance between them, although Sarah and Emma look quite a bit alike. They are all blond, although I have never seen Tom blond in person.

Diana came forward. “Hello, Sarah, dear,” she said warmly.

“Hello mum, Emma, Tom,” Sarah said, her eyes twinkling. She looked past Tom at me, standing behind his shoulder. “You must be Bethany,” she said, smiling just like Tom! OK, maybe there is a little resemblance! “Don’t be shy! Come out and let me see you!”

Of course, I was feeling shy, but I stepped around Tom and stood in front of him. He put his hands on my shoulders and rested his chin on the top of my head.

“Yes, I’m Bethany,” I said diffidently.

“So, you’re going to marry this great bloody loon?” she said, flicking her eyes up to Tom. “Does she know what she’s getting herself into?” she asked him.

“No! And don’t you tell her!” Tom said loudly, dropping his arms from my shoulders to wrap them tightly around my waist. “I need her, so don’t go screwing this up for me!”

I loved the easy banter and camaraderie among the siblings. It was easy to see why Tom knew how to treat women — his sisters wouldn‘t have let him get away with anything else!

The conversation began to wind down when Sarah began to yawn. “I hate to be this way,” she said, yawning again, but it’s almost three o’clock am, here. I need to get some sleep!”

“Of course, Sarah, dear,” Diana said. “As always, it’s good to talk to you.”

“You, too, mum. G’night mum, Em, Tom,” she said. “Oh, and Tom, you take care of Bethany. She loves you, so obviously, she’s a keeper! And goodnight, Bethany! Don’t let my wacky brother take advantage or talk you into anything crazy!”

“I won’t,” I said solemnly. “Goodnight, Sarah. It was very nice to meet you!”

Emma ended the app, then went to put her iPad away. Seeing Sarah yawn had me yawning, as well. Tom pulled me into his arms. “We need to get you home to bed, too,” he murmured. “Bethany has to be on set at five-thirty tomorrow morning,” he told Diana and Emma.

“Well, take her home, then, Tom!” Diana said. She approached me and held out her arms. As I hugged her, she whispered in my ear, “Thank you for loving Tom. He looks happier than I’ve seen him look in years. One thing, dear: Let him take care of you. He thrives on it, and it will bring him such happiness!”

Touched, I hugged her a little harder, and whispered back, “I will, and I’m going to thrive on taking care of him, too!”

She backed way a bit, holding me by the hands. “Oh, Tom, I’m so glad you’ve met this wonderful girl!” she said to him over her shoulder. “I just know you’re going to be so happy together!”

After goodnights and more hugs all around, Tom and I left, walking to the car holding hands. “They love you, all of them,” he said softly. “Just like I do. Oh, my Bethy!”

“I love them, too, Tom,” I told him. “They all made me feel so welcome.”

“Well, you’re made me happy,” he said. “They can tell, and they approve!”

We’d reached the car, so we climbed back in. “I wish I could drive,” Tom grumbled. “I’ve been off the narcotic pain meds for over twenty-four hours!”

“Yes,” I said, starting the car, “but you need the doctor to release you to drive.”

“I know that,” he said resignedly. “That’s why I’m sitting over here, and you’re driving my car.”

“Two more days, Tom,” I said sympathetically. “You’ll make it.”

He heaved a heavy sigh. “I know I will,” he said contentedly. ”As long as I have you, I can do anything.”

Ohhhh. My heart skipped a beat. Where does he come up with these things? Reaching out and finding his hand, I entwined our fingers, then brought his hand to the steering wheel with mine over it. “I love you, Tom," I whispered.

He bent toward me and rubbed his face against my shoulder. “I love you, too, my Bethy,” he whispered back.


	34. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yup, Tom’s chapter’s longer, but not much. Thanks for continuing to read this saga! I can’t believe it’s still going strong! I promise no more collapsing buildings, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a couple more problems in store for these two… Yup. Thanks again for reading; enjoy!

Chapter 34, Tom

Once again, Bethany left me and went off to work. I was feeling absolutely fabulous, and if I didn’t ever have to look in a mirror, I’d think I was back to normal. But, in the cold light of day, I still looked like I’d been used as a punching bag by the British Olympic Boxing Team, so I knew I needed to be a good patient and take it easy today, although there was no question about it, it was going to be difficult.

Hmmm, I wondered if Luke had issued the press release about Bethany and me. Well, I didn’t have anything else to do today, so let’s find out, I thought to myself as I turned on my laptop and opened a browser. What to search for? How about, ‘Tom Hiddleston dating’? Bingo. I opened up the article and started reading.

Film Star Tom Hiddleston Dating Industry Co-worker

A spokesman for Tom Hiddleston has confirmed that the actor is in a relationship with a co-worker in the film industry. The woman, Bethany Murrow, is one of the top hair and makeup specialists in the industry, and has worked with such legends as Robert Deniro, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Jay Baruchel. Sources close to the couple say that they have never actually worked together, but when asked about it, Hiddleston confirmed that they have been dating for a while, and to the query ‘is it serious?’, the actor simply said ‘yes.’

Attempts to reach Ms. Murrow or her agents fort comment have been unsuccessful so far, but stay tuned and we will keep you posted.

One thing for sure, hearts must be breaking all over the world!

Well, that was a little cheesy, but reasonably accurate. At least it was out there. I didn’t want Bethany to be secret. It hadn’t really even started out that way, it’s just that with the closed set and this being such a small, off-the-radar film, there hadn’t been any publicity, and basically no one really even knew this film was being made, except we who were making it. Well, this article made Bethany sound so talented and glamorous, so that was good. Not that she isn’t: she is. It’s just that, she is so comfortable with herself, she has a natural glamour. She doesn’t need to put on airs to be attractive. She doesn’t need to try; she just is!

I spent a little more time surfing the internet. I googled Bethany, to see what would come up. I was surprised that her name was actually on an industry website, listing her filmography, which was quite impressive. There was also a list of her stage and television credits. She had been quite in demand over the last few years, and my heart swelled with pride for her.

While I was still reading over her impressive stats, my phone buzzed with her first check in text. She’d told me she would only bother me every other hour. As if she could ever be a bother!

[Hey, Tom, how’s it going? Bxox]

[Good, Bethany! Except that I miss you! Txox]

[I miss you, too! You’re taking it easy, though, right? Bxox]

[Yes, dear! Txox]

[Good. I love you, Tom. Text you in a couple. Bxox]

[I look forward to it! Hey, Luke took us public! Txox]

[Hmmm. Does it look OK? Bxox]

[It’s not bad. I can show you tonight. Txox]

[Great. Gotta get back to work. Boss]

[OK. I love you, Bethy! ‘Talk’ to you in a couple. Txox]

I put away my computer and read for a while, then watched some telly. Bethany’s next text check in was very like the first, but she did tell me she’d call me at lunch, so when the lunch hour came, I made sure that I was available this time.

“Hey, Tom, are you being good?” she asked.

“Yes, dear,” I said, giving my best henpecked impression. "But honestly, Bethy, I feel great!”

“I know, Tom, I could tell that last night,” she confessed. “But, truly, you really just need to rest and stay down until you see the doctor on Thursday. It would be awful if he were to forbid you from filming on Friday. It would be catastrophic for the film.”

“Shit, you’re right,” I had to agree. I really did have scenes that needed to be filmed, and my fate was truly is the hands of my doctor for this. “I’ll be good Bethany. But, do you think it would be OK to do some light yoga, or Tai chi, or something? Just to get to move?”

She was quiet for a moment, and I’m sure she was truly thinking about it. “Ye-es," she said reluctantly, drawing out the word. “I think that if you’re very easy on yourself, slow, steady stretches, no sudden movements, no working to too much of a sweat, and no compromised breathing; well, I think that would be OK.”

“Thanks, Bethany. I’m just going stir crazy here,” I said. God, I missed her. “Bethany…”

“Yes, Tom? What is it?” Oh now, I had worried her again with my tone, when really, I just wanted to tell her how much I love her.

“I just… I just miss you, Bethany,” I said wistfully. “I love you and wish you were here with me.”

“Ah, Tom, I wish that, too,” she said quietly. "I’ll be home soon. The time will pass quickly, you’ll see. I’ll text you again in a couple of hours.”

“I look forward to it, love," I said softly.

“Bye, Tom,” she said.

“Bye, Bethy,” I said back.

No too long after I rang off with Bethany, my phone buzzed, indicating a text message. Thinking that Bethany just forgot to tell me something, I opened it up. But it wasn’t from Bethany, it was from Jay. I read it with quite a bit of surprise.

[Hey, Tom, something just happened here that I wanted to give you a heads up about. JB]

[Hey, thanks, man. What’s up? TWH]

[Bethany overheard Jennifer tell Kate that she wants to put the moves on you. JB] What, really? That was news to me.

[You’re kidding. TWH]

[No, I’m not. I heard it too. I just thought you should be aware. JB]

[Wow. How did Bethany take it? TWH]

[She was angry, but she took it well. Just, you might want to avoid being alone with Jennifer, or at least let her know where you stand. Unless you do want her, of course… JB> Hey, wait a minute. What kind of guy does he think I am?

[Thanks a lot! Read that as sarcasm! I’m with Bethany! TWH]

[Good. I was hoping you’d say that. So, heads up, buddy. JB]

[Thanks again. TWH]

[Welcome. JB]

So, after that little exchange, I was more uptight than ever. Now, I’d have to be vigilant around Jennifer. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time an actress had come on to me. But for now, I needed to relax, so I decided to try some yoga. Nothing too frenetic or difficult. I was out of practice and stiff, so I started with some gentle stretches and some modified Tai chi. It felt great to be moving again, but I did notice that I tired quickly, and that I didn’t seem to have any stamina. After a very short period of time, I was already exhausted. I decided to take a shower, and then a little nap, because we still had dinner at mum’s tonight.

All through my shower, thoughts of Bethany kept intruding. As I soaped my cock, I couldn’t help stroking it a little. Hell. Why not just wank, and get it over with? Being in love with Bethany was making me act like a horny teenager! Sighing, I leaned up against the wall of the shower, stroking my cock, cupping my balls with my free hand and squeezing gently. Thoughts of Bethany’s mouth, her hands, her wet pussy, running through my head. “Uhhh.” I couldn’t keep quiet.

But, my knees were weak. This would be better in bed. I rinsed, toweled off, then went to my room. After getting off, I could take that nap. Not bothering with clothes, I laid down on the bed and took my cock in hand. Once again, I imagined Bethany, her mouth and hands on me, mine on her. Her fingers in my hair, our naked bodies writhing and shifting together. Pretty soon, I was panting, my breathing short, my blood pounding in my ears, almost crashing, my heart was racing so. I heard Bethany call my name, and I stroked faster, getting closer. I heard Bethany moan…

That sounded so real. I opened my eyes, stopping my hand, and she was standing there, naked in the doorway, her clothing strewn around her, fingering her clit as frantically as I had been stroking myself. I had no idea how long she had been standing there watching me, but I could tell by her breathing that she was getting there. “Bethany,” I whispered.

She stilled and pulled her fingers away, popping them into her mouth and sucking them, the most erotic thing, and my cock twitched in my hand. “Can I join you?” she asked.

“Shit, Bethany, get over here and fuck me!” I growled, and she eagerly joined me on the bed, jumping on me in her haste to be with me. I urged her onto her back and was instantly thrusting inside of her, my fingers on her clit, sucking on her neck, both of us too close to our climaxes to waste time with any foreplay.

“Tom, I’m gonna cum,” she whimpered, and in the next moment, I felt her pussy clamp down and spasm around me as she reached orgasm.

“Fuck, Bethany," I said, the sensations of her coming around me catapulting me into my own release, and I came deep inside her.

We held each other as we slowly came down, kissing and cuddling as our breathing returned to normal.

“Just what I needed to relax me before meeting your mum and sister,” she purred, sounding satisfied, nuzzling me playfully.

I kissed her forehead, surprised. "You’re not nervous about it, are you? You’ve met them before.”

“I know,” she admitted, "but yes, somehow I’m a wreck about it.”

“Well, don’t be!” I said, chuckling. I caught a look at the clock on the bedside table. Oops. “Wow, we’d better get a move on if we don’t want to be late!”

We got up and quickly dressed, and fifteen minutes later, we were on our way. I handed her the keys to the Jag, and said, “You’re driving, of course.”

“Thank you for trusting me enough to let me drive your car, Tom,” she said proudly. “It really does mean a lot to me.” I could tell that my trust in her was important, and it touched a place deep inside me.

“You’re welcome,” I said softly, kissing her again. “You’re a good driver, and my car is more comfortable than yours.”

“Thanks a lot!” she said sarcastically, starting up the car and driving out. “I’d be offended on behalf of my little car, except that you’re right!”

Following my directions, we were soon pulling up to my childhood home. “Here’s mum’s,” I said.

Poor Bethany looked terrified, and I wondered how I could help her. “Oh Tom, I don’t think I can do this,” she said, her hands clamped around the steering wheel.

I began massaging her hands and fingers with one of my hands, while caressing her hair and her back with the other, calming her. “Come on, Bethy, it will be OK,” I said soothingly. “You’ve even met them before; you know they’re nice. And they like you," I assured her, kissing her forehead. “Come on, honey.”

Gradually my touch got through to her and she let loose the steering wheel, and I went around the car to take her by the hand, and she walked with me up to the front door. I knocked a couple of times, then pushed it open. “Mum, it’s me. I’ve brought Bethany,” I called, as we made our way into the house. We passed through the front hall into the living room.

My sister Emma stood up from her chair, grinning, and ran over to me, where she took a look at my poor, bruised up face, and hugged me. We’ve always been close, and it was obvious that my appearance disturbed her, tender-hearted girl that she is. Then, when she was done hugging me, she didn’t hesitate to hug Bethany, squealing her name.

“Hi, Emma, it’s really great to see you again!” Bethany said, sounding more relaxed, and I was grateful to Emma for putting my girl at ease.

“I can’t believe someone finally snagged Tom.” Em said. “He’s been resisting for years! I know you have to be amazing, because clearly he feels like he has to grab you, before someone else does!” Emma is quite bright. She actually had that spot on.

“It’s been really crazy," Bethany said, a little dazedly. “It gives me a whole other take on the phrase ‘whirlwind courtship.’ And yet, I know its right.” I warmed my heart to hear her say that.

Emma stepped back, looking at the two of us. “Other than the fact that Tom looks like he’s been Hulk-smashed again, you two look perfect together. Go say hi to mum.“ She whispered the last part.

I took Bethany’s hand again and led her over to where mum was sitting. I bent down and hugged her, then stood and pulled Bethany forward. “Mum, you remember my girlfriend, Bethany," I said softly.

“Yes, of course,” she said, smiling at my love. “Well, don’t be shy, girl, give me a hug!” Bethany hugged her, laughing, and I was happy to see that she was over her nerves.

Emma had gone into the kitchen, and now she came back into the room, smiling, and said, “Well, dinner’s ready, I’m starved, so let’s eat!”

Over dinner, Emma and mum embarrassed me no end with stories of our childhood, a variety a episodes, mostly about me, tales of my practical jokes, how studious I was, how I always wanted to dance and act, how I was such a clown. Emma and I made Bethany laugh so hard she cried, taking turns recounting an epic battle we’d had with our older sister Sarah and one of her friends over a box of cereal. It doesn’t sound that funny now, but trust me; I guess you had to be there.

But, of course, at some point mum wanted to get down to business. ”When are you planning to get married?” she asked, looking at us expectantly. “And how big of an affair are you expecting to have? And what type?”

We hadn’t gotten that far yet, and I said so. “I’m afraid we really haven’t gotten that far, mum. We’re definitely waiting for this film to wrap before we even talk about it.”

“That’s right," Bethany agreed with me. "The entire film crew moves to Cambridge this weekend, and things are just so busy. We just know we belong together, so, we got engaged.”

Have I mentioned how much I love this girl? I squeezed her hand, probably looking like a love-sick loon. “I love you,” I whispered silently.

“I love you, too,” she mouthed back.

Suddenly, Emma looked at her watch, then jumped up. “Time to call Sarah!” she said excitedly. "She’s expecting us right about now!”

“Ugh!” Bethany said. "I don’t even want to know what time it is where she is!”

“There’s five and a half hours’ difference,” Emma said, “but she’s stayed up for us, so let’s do it!”

Emma set up her iPad, then started the facetime app, and then, there was Sarah, my older sister by fifteen months. We’ve always been close, but somehow, not as close as Em and I, even though there’s five years difference between us. I’ve always thought that maybe it’s because we both went into acting, while Sarah is a journalist, currently in India.

Mum came forward. “Hello, Sarah, dear,” she said warmly.

“Hello mum, Emma, Tom,” Sarah said, her eyes twinkling. She looked past me at Bethany, standing behind me, peering over my shoulder. “You must be Bethany,” she said, smiling at her. “Don’t be shy! Come out and let me see you!”

Well, I think Bethany was feeling shy, but I was proud when she stepped around and stood in front of me. I put my hands on her shoulders and rested my chin atop her head.

“Yes, I’m Bethany,” she said diffidently.

“So, you’re going to marry this great bloody loon?” Sarah said, raising her eyes up to me. “Does she know what she’s getting herself into?” she asked me.

“No! And don’t you tell her!” I roared, dropping my arms from Bethany’s shoulders and wrapping them around her like I’d never let her go. “I need her, so don’t go screwing this up for me!” Everyone laughed at that.

Again, we mostly talked about our childhood, and Sarah wanted to know all about Bethany and how we met. She laughed when I described Lance and how he’d slammed the door in my face after our argument. I know Sarah would love him!

But, the conversation lagged when Sarah began to yawn. “I hate to be this way,” she said, yawning again, but it’s almost three o’clock am, here. I need to get some sleep!”

“Of course, Sarah, dear,” mum said. “As always, it’s good to talk to you.”

“You, too, mum. G’night mum, Em, Tom,” she said. “Oh, and Tom, you take care of Bethany. She loves you, so obviously, she’s a keeper! And goodnight, Bethany! Don’t let my wacky brother take advantage or talk you into anything crazy!”

“I won’t,” Bethany said solemnly. Too late, I thought. “Goodnight, Sarah. It was very nice to meet you!”

Emma ended the app, then went to put her iPad away. Seeing Sarah yawn had Bethany yawning, too, and I pulled her into my arms. “We need to get you home to bed, too,” I said gently. “Bethany has to be on set at five-thirty tomorrow morning,” I told mum and Emma.

“Well, take her home, then, Tom!” mum said. She hugged Bethany, then backed way a bit, keeping hold of her hands. “Oh, Tom, I’m so glad you’ve met this wonderful girl!” she said to me, looking at me over her shoulder. “I just know you’re going to be so happy together!”

After goodnights and more hugs all around, we left, walking to the car holding hands. “They love you, all of them,” I told her softly. “Just like I do. Oh, my Bethy!”

“I love them, too, Tom,” Bethany said. “They all made me feel so welcome.”

“Well, you’ve made me happy,” I said. “They can tell, and they approve!”

We’d reached the car, so we got in, but once again, I was chaffing to get my life back on track. “I wish I could drive,” I groused. “I’ve been off the narcotic pain meds for over twenty-four hours!”

“Yes,” Bethany said, starting the car, “but you need the doctor to release you to drive.” Common practice with a head injury like the one I’d had, I’m told.

“I know that,” I said. “That’s why I’m sitting over here, and you’re driving my car.”

“Two more days, Tom,” she said sympathetically. “You’ll make it.”

I guess so. At least I had her! “I know I will,” I said contentedly. "As long as I have you, I can do anything.”

Reaching out and finding my hand, she placed it underneath hers on the steering wheel. “I love you, Tom," she whispered.

I put my head on her shoulder. “I love you, too, my Bethy,” I whispered back.


	35. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In typical fashion, Tom’s chapter is almost twice, yes, twice as long as Bethany’s! This always amuses me, because it makes me feel like I’m doing something right, because… it’s Tom, right? He looooves to talk…

Chapter 35, Bethany

Tom’s doctor’s appointment was on Thursday at nine o’clock. I, of course, had to be on set, so I wouldn’t be able to go with him. Emma had agreed to take him, and they both knew that I was expecting to be notified immediately what the doctor had to say. I was anxious to make sure that Tom was all right. Everything in me told me that he was, but I was really clinging to the prospect of finding out for sure. I had known Tom for only a week and a half, and yet, he was already the single most important thing in my life. I loved him with everything that was in me; the thought of losing him, ever, was actually physically painful.

Tom was groggily awake when l left for the set at five o’clock am. I bent over the bed to hug and kiss him before I left, whispering, ”Send me a text as soon as you know anything. I love you, Tom.”

“I love you, too, Bethany,” he said sleepily. “Don’t worry, it will be a good report. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

I took my little car and drove to the set, parking and making my way to our trailer. Jay was already there, sitting in the chair, so I got out his makeup and hair products and started working on him.

“Tom’s doctor’s appointment is today, isn’t it?” Jay asked, as I applied his eye makeup.

“Yes, and I’m just so nervous,” I said quietly. “I wish I could go with him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said reassuringly. “I’ve texted him a few times, and he says he feels great.”

“You’ve kept in touch with Tom?” I asked. “How sweet of you.”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Bethany”, Jay said chidingly. ”Tom’s my friend!”

“I’m glad,” I said. ”A little surprised, but glad.”

“And," he said, "I suppose I should tell you, I warned him about what Jennifer said the other day. I thought he should know to be on his guard around her.”

“You’re probably right,” I said ruefully. “Thank you for that. If I’d have said something to him, I would have just sounded like a jealous bitch!”

His makeup was done, so I handed him his costume and said, “Dress, then hair!”

“Yes ma’am,” he said flipping me a little salute, and then going into the bathroom to change.

Tom’s text came at about 9:45. [I am released for everything! Elated! Txox]

[Oh, Tom, congrats! Driving and everything? Bxox]

[Yes! And filming tomorrow. Doc is amazed! Txox]

[Terrific! We should go out and celebrate tonight! Bxox]

[I want to come pick you up. I’ll come early so I can talk to Danny. Txox]

[Sounds like a plan. Tom, I love you. Bxox]

[I love you, too, Bethy! Txox]

A couple of minutes later, I got another text, this time from Emma.

[Tom’s telling the truth, he really has been released for all activities. Just thought you might like confirmation. Emma (*_*)]

[Thanks, Em! I really appreciate it! Bethany :) ]

The rest of the day dragged, until finally, about an hour or so before we usually wrapped for the night, l saw his most familiar and dear long-legged figure striding across the set. He came immediately up to where I had my station set up, his long fingers sliding into my hair, tipping my face up for his kiss. My eyes closed as our lips clung for a moment, then he drew back, running his hand across my face before stepping back in propriety.

“I’ll just stay here with you til Danny calls a cut,” he said softly. “I love you.”

I glanced at him, then back at the action. “I love you, Tom,” I said quietly. “Shouldn’t be long now.”

And I was right, it was only a few minutes before Danny called a cut. Tom immediately headed for him, passing Jay on his way over to see me for his touchup. It warmed my heart when the two men stopped, sharing a few words and a man-hug, both happy to see each other. With a final pat on the back, Tom continued over to Danny, and Jay came over to me.

“So, he’s back,” Jay said, as I spritzed his hair, combing some height into it.

I touched up his makeup, and said, ”His doc has cleared him for everything, so he’s good for tomorrow. He’s just come to let Danny know. And to take me home.”

“That’s great,” Jay said happily. “So, we’ll finish here tomorrow, and move to Cambridge over the weekend.”

“Yes, where I’ll share a room with Clarice, and you’ll share a room with Tom,” I said, smirking. “I can see now why Tom wasn’t worried about that."

Jay chuckled. “Yep,” was all he said.

Tom finished talking to Danny, then stayed with me until the wrap for the day. As I gathered my equipment and supplies, Jay came over to take my bag, which he’d been doing since Tom had been gone.

“I see how it is,” Tom said, brows raised. “I can take it from here.” He shouldered my bag and took my hand, and Jay laughed.

“Well, you weren’t here,” he said, shrugging.

We were joined by Clarice as we walked towards the trailers, and Jay grabbed her bag. “Welcome, back, Tom,” she said with a flirtatious smile.

“Thanks, Clarice,” he said, hugging her and kissing her cheek.

After goodbyes all around, Tom took my hand and we walked together to his car. “You’re going to ask me to leave my car here again, aren’t you?” I asked resignedly. “Such a feeling of déjà vu!”

“Please?” he said, giving me the puppy eyes. I was so in love with him now, that there was no way I was resisting him tonight.

“Just promise me that we won’t get into a fight that leaves me stranded!” l said, grinning.

“I think I can promise that,” he murmured. “I love you, Bethany.” The look in his eyes had me mesmerized, and slowly I brought one hand up, cupping his face and kissing him softly. “I love you, Tom,” I said dazedly.

We stood there hugging for a moment, until Tom gently eased me away, opening the door for me and helping me into the car. He went around to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel.

“Um, I did think maybe we could try that same pub,” Tom said hesitantly. "It’s close, and the food was good.”

“That’s hilarious, Tom,” l said, laughing, not sure why I found it funny, but after a moment, Tom laughed, too.

He was right, it was close, and the food was good, and it was nice just being with him, out of the house, just us two together. We were pretty much done eating, when Tom got a nervous look on his face. I would say he almost looked apprehensive. I studied him for a moment.

“OK, Tom, spill,” I said, asking him flat out. “Something’s bothering you, or at the very least, something is on your mind.”

“I don’t know how to say it,” he said quietly. I thought he was being uncharacteristically humble.

“Come on, Tom, just tell me,” I said encouragingly. “You should be able to say anything to me.”

“I know,” he said, almost whining, looking like a little boy, “but I’m afraid you’ll get mad.”

I reached out and took his hand. “I’ll promise to try to not get mad, Tom,” I said. “That’s the best I can do."

“I’ll take it,” he said, still talking so softly I had to strain to hear him. It bothered me that he couldn’t meet my eyes. What horrible thing was he going to tell me? Was he regretting our engagement? Suddenly, I felt cold inside.

“God, Tom,” I whispered. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

His eyes jerked up to mine and he looked started. “No, god, no, Bethany,” he said. “No no no…”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Then what is it, Tom?" I said, frustrated.

Pouting, he looked at me, and said, “Now that I’m better, you’re going to want to go back to your flat, and I don’t want you to. I want you to move in with me, and I’m not sure how to convince you.”

My mouth dropped open, and after a moment, I closed it. “Oh, Tom,” I said wistfully, ”I don’t want to be apart from you. I’d love to move in with you, but I have to consider Lance. I don’t think he could afford our flat on his own.”

Tom’s mouth twisted. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he said. “Um, I’d continue to pay your half of the rent, if you’d move in with me. I need to have you with me, Bethany. I don’t think I can go back to living alone!” He sounded almost desperate. “I just don’t think I can let you go!”

“Well, obviously, I can’t let you do that, Tom," I said, shaking my head. “I can’t let you pay my rent, especially if I’m not even going to live there! But let me talk to Lance tomorrow. Maybe I could help him find a new roommate.”

“Maybe he could move in with Luke,” Tom said under his breath, so quietly I almost didn’t hear it. Then, louder, “You will stay with me tonight, won’t you?” And, again, the puppy eyes.

“Yes, Tom,” I said smiling at him. “I couldn’t possibly not stay with you tonight.”

He actually breathed a sigh of relief. “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” he said, relievedly.

“Good,” I said, chuckling softly. “See? I didn’t get mad.”

We went home. Funny how I now thought of Tom’s house as ‘home.’ I had roomed with Lance in our little flat for almost four years, and yet, in just over a week, it had ceased to be home, and I knew that it was because Tom wasn’t there. From now on, home would be wherever Tom was. He had become my world, and I knew he felt the same.

“I couldn’t possibly go back to my flat,” I muttered to myself.

Tom heard me. “I’m so glad to hear you say that,” he said with a chuckle. “I love you so much, Bethany.”

“And I love you, Tom,” I said.

We hadn’t been home very long when my phone rang. Surprised, I looked to see who was calling. It wasn’t that late, and yet, I didn’t get that many calls, especially at night. Scared it was my family in the States with bad news, I was relieved, but still puzzled, to see that it was Lance.

I answered it, saying, ”Hey, what’s up, buddy?”

“Bethany,” Lance said, his deep voice sounding unusually worried. “Uh, please don’t hate me, but I have to tell you something. “

“Lance, you’re scaring me,” I said, feeling a knot in the pit of my stomach. Was it bad news from Ezra?

“Bethany,” Lance began, and I heard him swallow hard. “Um… uh… Bethany…”

“Lance, just spit it out, man,” I said, exasperated. What was with these men in my life not being able to talk to me tonight? Seriously! First Tom, who loves me, and now Lance, who’s known me since I was a little girl…

“Bethany,“ Lance finally said. “I’m moving in with Luke.”


	36. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here, as promised, is Tom’s chapter. It’s too sweet; sorry about that…

Chapter 36, Tom

Bethany was up early Thursday morning, of course, as she had to be on set. She never meant to wake me, and I am not a light sleeper, but I was so in tune with her that, like always, I woke up anyway. Today was the day! My doctor’s appointment was at nine o’clock, and since Bethany couldn’t take me, Emma would be doing the honors, and we had both promised to notify Bethany immediately of what the doctor had to say. I knew that, deep-down, Bethany knew I was all right, but she loves me, so she couldn’t help being anxious about me. As soon as I knew the good news, I would let her know, and put her out of her misery. So, I was groggily awake when she left for the set at five o’clock am. She bent over me, hugging and kissing me before she left, whispering, ”Send me a text as soon as you know anything. I love you, Tom.”

“I love you, too, Bethany,” I said sleepily. “Don’t worry, it will be a good report. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

Like most days, I was able to get back to sleep. I had gotten soft and lazy in my injury-imposed exile, and I missed my morning runs, but at the same time, I had gotten complacent, and I knew it would be a chore to get back with it. When the alarm went off at seven-thirty, I groaned, rolling over and turning it off, stretching and yawning, before rising and preparing to meet the day.

Emma was supposed to pick me up at eight-thirty, so I showered and dressed, then went down to the kitchen, fixing myself a quick breakfast of toast, eggs, and coffee, eating it standing up in front of the sink. Em was right on time.

“Ready to go, Tom?” she asked me, kissing my cheek and hugging me briefly.

I returned her hug, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ve been ready for a week!” I said, getting my leather jacket out of the closet and following her to her car. Ack! I had missed driving more than I would have thought, and I found myself wondering if she would let me drive her car home. Well, if the doc cleared me for driving, I might ask her!

I was shown into an exam room, and a nurse took my temperature, pulse, and blood pressure, making notes in her chart. “Doctor will be into see you shortly,” she said, smiling at me briskly. I always appreciate my doctor’s office; they always treat me just like anyone else. Because, not to sound conceited or anything, but I never know where I might run into a fan, and while I am always gratified and humbled by the admiration, there are just some situations where I really don’t think asking me for an autograph or to take a selfie is appropriate, and somehow, the doctor’s office, where I am actually a patient, is towards the top of the list!

I didn’t have to wait too long for the doctor to see me. “So, Tom,” he said, jovially as he came into the room, coming forward and shaking my hand. “How do you feel?”

“Honestly, doc,” I said earnestly, “I feel great. I know I look a little battered around the edges, but, honestly, unless I’m looking in the mirror, I sometimes forget I was ever injured.”

Looking at my chart, the doctor said, "Well, your stats are all normal," and he flipped a page, "this is all quite good,” he said, brows raised. “Let’s take a look at your eyes.” He shined his lights at me, looking through his magnifying spectacles, then made some notes in my chart.

“Well, I’m impressed, Tom,” he said, finally looking up at me. “You’ve made a remarkable recovery. I don’t see any reason why you can’t return to all normal activities, including exercise and driving. Use good judgment; listen to your body. If you feel tired, stop. If at any point, you develop a head ache, have vision issues or other problems with your eyes, feel dizzy, especially combined with nausea, or, in general, just don’t feel right, you don’t hesitate to call me. And I will have my staff call you to set up an appointment for another EEG in about six months’ time.”

“Really. Doc?” I said hopefully, hardly daring to believe it was true. “And I’m OK to return to work tomorrow, right?”

“Yes,” he said, grinning at me. “Use moderation, to start with. You’re going to fatigue quickly until you build your stamina up, so take it a little easy until you discover just how much you can do.” He looked at me and gave me a wink. “Is this a movie I’m going to want to see, Tom?”

“Yes, Doc, it’s going to be good,” I said, with a grin of my own. “Thank you so much!” We shook hands again, and then he left for his next patient, and I returned to the waiting room, where Emma greeted me, eyebrows raised in query.

“Well, what did he said?” she asked eagerly.

I thought about teasing her, but my huge smile gave it away. “I am cleared for everything!” I said excitedly.

“Oh, Tom, that’s wonderful!” she said hopping to her feet and taking both my hands. I pulled her towards me and hugged her tightly.

“So, you need to let Bethany know, right now!” she said. And she was right! So, I dug out my phone, and sent my love a text with the happy news.

[I am released for everything! Elated! Txox] She answered right away.

[Oh, Tom, congrats! Driving and everything? Bxox]

[Yes! And filming tomorrow. Doc is amazed! Txox]

[Terrific! We should go out and celebrate tonight! Bxox]

[I want to come pick you up. I’ll come early so I can talk to Danny. Txox]

[Sounds like a plan. Tom, I love you. Bxox]

[I love you, too, Bethy! Txox]

As I finished and pocketed my phone, I looked up at Emma and she smirked at me. “If I were Bethany,” she said archly, "I might not believe you, but I would believe me!” And she took out her own phone and tapped on it. “There!” she said. “Now she’ll know it’s true!”

“Thanks, Em,” I said sarcastically, but I grinned. “But, really, I do appreciate it,” I finished gratefully.

“So, now what would you like to do?” she asked. “I was hoping we could have lunch together, but it’s too early yet.”

“Lunch would be good,” I agreed, “but you’re right, it’s too early.”

“Well, what have you just been dying to do?” she asked, looking at me expectantly.

“You mean, besides getting up at three-thirty and running like a maniac for miles?” I asked, chuckling.

“Yes, obviously, besides that, since it’s now,” she looked at her watch, “ten o’clock.”

I gave her one of my wide-eyed, pleading looks. “Emma, would you let me drive your car?” I scraped my top teeth over my bottom lip; I’d practiced it in the mirror, and I know it’s appealing and hard to resist. “Please? I’ve really missed driving.”

But not too hard for Em to resist, drat it! Her mouth twisted and she put her hands on her hips. "Tell you what,” she said. “Let’s go get your car. I’ll leave mine at your house, and by that time, maybe it will be a good time to go to lunch.”

I nodded. “OK, Em, thanks,” I said, and so that’s what we did.

Lunch with Emma was fun; we went to one of the places our family always used to go to when we were children, and we chatted and reminisced about growing up together. Sarah had already changed our family dynamic when she got married. We were happy for her, of course, but things would never be the same among us again, now that she was no longer on her own, and now, I was doing it, too. By being with Bethany, by marrying her, I would no longer be the free-agent, care-free brother I had always been, and it was joyful, but also bitter-sweet, and at one point, Em even had tears in her eyes, and I reached out and squeezed her hand.

“Promise me, you won’t let things change between us,” I said softly. “Even though I’m with Bethany, I’m still your brother, and I love you.”

“OK, Tom,” she said, wiping her eyes and smiling at me, “I promise. And Tom, I really love Bethany. Good job, winning her!”

“Thanks, Em. That means a lot to me,” I told her.

Emma looked at her watch. “Oh, goodness,” she said. “I had no idea it was so late. I have an appointment in an hour.”

“Then let’s get you back to your car,“ I said, rising and taking her hand.

After saying goodbye to Emma and sending her on her way, I still had a little time before I had to leave for the set, but the driving – it was exhilarating! I decided to just go for an extended drive.

The weather was brisk, but clear, the pavement was dry, it was a beautiful day, and I was free and in love. As I drove, the windows down, the wind rushing through my hair, of course I thought of Bethany. After all the years, and all the girls, why her? I didn’t know. I knew it was quick, I knew it was sudden, but I knew it was right. My feelings for her were deep and visceral, they were genuine, and contemplating a life without her in it was not something I was willing to consider. Fortunately she felt the same, and I actually sighed in relief. Just another way I knew that our love was right: that we both could feel it.

Eventually, I turned and headed for the set, my heart beating faster at the thought of being there again. And, of course, I would see Bethany, too. It didn’t take long, and as I parked in the lot, it felt as if I had never been away. I nodded to the guard in the shack, and headed for the location, pausing to cast a fond look towards our trailer.

I spotted Bethany’s station set-up right away, so I immediately went over there, threading my fingers into her hair and tipping her face up to kiss her. My eyes closed as I reveled in her kiss, then I pulled back, caressing her face for a moment and then stepping away, before I forgot myself and embarrassed us both.

“I’ll just stay here with you til Danny calls a cut,” I said softly, so glad to be with her, and to be back to ‘normal.’ “I love you.”

She looked at me briefly, then back at the action. “I love you, Tom,” she said quietly. “Shouldn’t be long now.”

And it was only a few minutes before Danny called a cut. I immediately headed his way, and of course I passed Jay, who was on his way over to see Bethany for his touchup.

“Hey, buddy!” he said happily. “Gosh, it’s great to see you! You look awful! And Bethany’s been a needy bitch, you know?”

I chuckled, looking at him with my brows raised. “Has she, now?” I said.

“Oh yeah, totally,” he said, smirking, then he got serious. “No, really, she just worried about you constantly, you know.” Yes, I did know. “And we all missed you on set, but her, most especially.”

“Of course,” I said. “Well, for what it’s worth, I missed all of you, too! And, I’m back tomorrow, bright and early.”

We hugged each other in that way men have, and I know we were both genuinely happy to see each other. With a final pat on the back, I continued over to Danny, and Jay went on over to my Bethany for his touchup.

“Danny," I said happily, right hand stretched out towards him. He took it and pulled me into a hug. “God, Tom, it’s good to see you!” he said stepping back and looking closely at me. “Wow! Bethany’s gonna have her work cut out for her tomorrow, isn’t she? You look good, but, whoa. I tell you, when that scaffolding fell on you, well, my life passed before my eyes. I swear, I aged ten years!”

“Well, I saw my doctor this morning, and I’ve been cleared for all activities. I’ll be in on time tomorrow, and I hope we can get all my scenes filmed so that we’ll be ready for the move to Cambridge.”

“That’s awesome, Tom!” Danny said, and glanced around. “About time to call everybody back, Tom. It’s truly wonderful to have you with us once again.”

“You bet, Danny,” I said. “I‘ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

I went back to Bethany, staying with her until the wrap for the day. As she was gathering up her gear, Jay came over to take her bag, and I confess, I felt a funny little stab of jealousy. This had been my job, even when Bethany had been resisting me, even when we’d been fighting! I’d been away for a week, and I’m guessing Jay had been helping, but instead of bring grateful, I felt resentment, flashing back to that day Bethany and I had been fighting, and she and Jay had spent the whole day flirting and torturing me.

“I see how it is,” I said, brows raised. “I can take it from here.” I roughly shouldered her bag and took her hand possessively, and Jay laughed.

“Well, you weren’t here,” he said, shrugging. He had a twinkle in his eyes, and I suddenly relaxed, shooting him an apologetic look that I’m pretty sure Bethany missed.

We were joined by Clarice as we walked towards the trailers, and Jay grabbed her bag. “Welcome, back, Tom,” she said with a provocative smile, and I was tempted to flirt back to bug Jay, but decided that it wasn’t really a good idea at this point.

“Thanks, Clarice,” I said, hugging her and kissing her cheek.

After dropping Bethany’s gear off at the trailer and saying goodbye to Jay and Clarice, I took Bethany’s hand and we walked together to my car. “You’re going to ask me to leave my car here again, aren’t you?” she asked knowingly. “Such a feeling of déjà vu!”

“Please?” I said, giving her a wide-eyed plaintive look. I could tell from the look on her face that I already had her, and I suppressed a grin, while inside, I was high-fiving myself.

“Just promise me that we won’t get into a fight that leaves me stranded!” she said, smirking.

“I think I can promise that,” I — well, I promised her. “I love you, Bethany.” Looking at her with my heart in her eyes, I was under her spell, and she was under mine. Slowly, she raised her hand, cupping my face and kissing me gently. “I love you, Tom,” she said hazily.

We stood there hugging for a moment, until I reluctantly backed her away, opening the door for her and helping her into the car. I’d missed being able to do these little courtesies, and it felt really good to act the gentleman with her once more. I went around to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel, and that felt good, too.

“Um, I did think maybe we could try that same pub,” I said now, hesitating a little, worried about her reaction. "It’s close, and the food was good.”

“That’s hilarious, Tom,” she said, laughing, and I gave a sigh of relief, and laughed with her.

And well, the place was close, and the food was good. It was nice to be sharing a meal, out on a date, not eating take out at home, again. But something was bothering me, and I wasn’t sure how to approach her with it. This was important to me, and I was almost afraid to bring it up. Her reaction to leaving her car on set had been mild, so I was probably working myself up for nothing, but I couldn’t help it.

We were pretty much done eating, before she noticed. She studied me for a moment, looking at me searchingly.

“OK, Tom, spill,” she said, bluntly, not wasting any time, once she’d noticed my unease. That directness – it is one of the things I love most about her. “Something’s bothering you, or at the very least, something is on your mind.”

“I don’t know how to say it,” I whispered, with some trepidation, I admit.

“Come on, Tom, just tell me,” she said encouragingly. “You should be able to say anything to me.”

“I know,” I said, and she was right, but still, it was so hard, and part of me didn’t want to know, because I was afraid her answer would hurt me, but what I said was, “but I’m afraid you’ll get mad.”

She took my hand. “I’ll promise to try to not get mad, Tom,” she said. “That’s the best I can do.“

I wasn’t really afraid she’d get mad, but it was all I could think to say. How to tell her, that if she said ‘no,’ I thought I might die inside?

“I’ll take it,” I said, forcing myself to get the words out. I couldn’t look at her. She was going to break my heart, I just knew it.

Suddenly she whispered, “God, Tom, you’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

I jerked my eyes up to hers. Oh, no, not even close. The very thought had my blood running cold “No, god, no, Bethany,” I said. “No no no…”

She gave a heavy sigh. “Then what is it, Tom?“ she said, her patience about gone.

Aware that I was pouting, I looked at her, and blurted it out: “Now that I’m better, you’re going to want to go back to your flat, and I don’t want you to. I want you to move in with me, and I’m not sure how to convince you.”

I could see that I had shocked her; she gaped at me.. “Oh, Tom,” she said wistfully, ”I don’t want to be apart from you. I’d love to move in with you, but I have to consider Lance. I don’t think he could afford our flat on his own.”

Damn. Of course. I hadn’t thought of that at all. She owed him that, and I knew it. “I hadn’t thought of that,” I said. “Um, I’d continue to pay your half of the rent, if you’d move in with me. I need to have you with me, Bethany. I don’t think I can go back to living alone!” I was desperate. “I just don’t think I can let you go!”

“Well, obviously, I can’t let you do that, Tom," she said, shaking her head. “I can’t let you pay my rent, especially if I’m not even going to live there! But let me talk to Lance tomorrow. Maybe I could help him find a new roommate.”

“Maybe he could move in with Luke,” I muttered, then, louder, I asked, “You will stay with me tonight, won’t you?”

“Yes, Tom,” she said with a smile. “I couldn’t possibly not stay with you tonight.”

Thank god for that, I thought, sighing. “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” I said.

“Good,” she said, chuckling softly. “See? I didn’t get mad.” And more important, she didn’t give me an absolute, flat no.

I took her home. I hoped that she thought of it as home. If I’d thought there was enough space for me there, I’d have offered to move into her flat and share her tiny little room with her! Anything to be with her. It didn’t matter to me where I lived, as long as it was with her, and I was pretty sure, from her reaction, that she felt the same.

“I couldn’t possibly go back to my flat,” I heard her saying to herself.

Again, thank god. “I’m so glad to hear you say that,” I said happily. “I love you so much, Bethany.”

“And I love you, Tom,” she said.

We hadn’t been home very long when her phone rang. She looked a little scared, and I hoped it wasn’t bad news from her parents. It wasn’t that late, but she doesn’t get a lot of calls, especially at night.

But, she answered it, saying, ”Hey, what’s up, buddy?”

She paused, while whoever it was spoke.

“Lance, you’re scaring me,” she said. So, it was Lance. But what was he saying to scare her? Again, I hoped it wasn’t bad news from her family.

Again, she listened as he spoke.

“Lance, just spit it out, man,” she said, sounding exasperated. At least she sounded more annoyed than frightened or sad.

Suddenly, a huge grin lit up her face, and she held the phone away from her mouth, and said to me, “Lance is moving in with Luke!”


	37. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone told me they gagged on the last chapter; sorry about that. I tried to tone it down with this one, but what can I say, I like sweet and I like romantic. Today, I almost bailed on this fic -- I have several other stories in my head. And, feeling a little down about this one tonight. I feel like I want to finish it for me...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will say that there will be a little drama in Cambridge, some you already know about, some a surprise. Just sayin’.

Chapter 37, Bethany

The next morning, Tom and I rose together to get ready to go to the set. I thought he might want to get up early to run, but he surprised me by being more sensible than I had given him credit for.

“I don’t think I should try to do too much too soon,” he said seriously. “I have to be on set, and it’s already liable to totally wear me out. If I do a run first, I probably won’t make it through the day.”

“You’re so smart!” I said, kissing him on the nose.

So, we got up and showered, ate, and were on our way together, reasonably on time. We’d almost stalled in the shower. We’d started off innocently enough, showering together, just wanting to save time, but the proximity of naked flesh, the hot, streaming water… I’d playfully reached out and gripped Tom’s semi-erect cock, and that was all it had taken. He’d pressed me up against the shower wall, his lips on mine, tongue in my mouth, hips bucking, thrusting his cock into my hand.

He’d pressed his face against mine, groaning, “We don’t have time for this,” but he was still rutting against me.

“Maybe not,” I moaned, “but I think we’d better make time. You can’t be sporting this boner on set.”

“When you put it that way,” he managed to get out. “A quickie then.” He lifted one of my legs around his hips and thrust into me, and I cried out in ecstasy at the suddenness of it. His thrusts were frantic and wild, but he applied his thumb to my clit, and in mere minutes I was coming around him, my fingers digging in to the cheeks of his ass.

“Come on, Tom,” I moaned. “Come with me.”

“Dear god, Bethany, you feel good,” he groaned, and then, shoving into me one last time, he filled me with his seed as he came inside me.

“Better?” I asked on a sigh.

“Shit, yes,” Tom said quietly, as he softened and slipped out of me. We finished showering, then continued with our morning preparations.

As we got in Tom’s car for the drive in, I made him promise to let me drive my own car home that evening. After all, after today, this would no longer be our location, and we would be gone for a few weeks, and I couldn’t possibly leave my car here that long. I could see that Tom understood that it was necessary, but at the same time, he wished it didn’t have to be, and I loved him for that.

The next day, we would drive together to Cambridge in Tom’s Jag, and then filming would recommence on the following Monday. The story in the film would heat up, and I knew that the main meat had yet to be filmed, and I was so looking forward to watching it unfold.

And when filming was done, I would move in with Tom. Lance’s revelation of the night before had freed both of us. He’d felt so guilty, Lance had said, but since I had been at Tom’s since the accident, he’d had hopes that I would be wanting to make the arrangements permanent. He confessed that he himself had not slept in our flat since the third night after meeting Luke, and while he’d always known that they, Luke and Lance, were a love that was meant to be, he hadn’t really dared to hope, and he apologized for thinking unkind thoughts about Tom, and about how Tom and I had rushed things, when he, Lance, and Luke had moved even faster.

Well, Tom and l were happy for both of them, and it certainly did make things infinitely easier for the two of us, and we’d celebrated by having glorious sex all over Tom’s house, until finally falling into a sated sleep in his bed.

Next day, we got to the set, parked Tom’s Jag next to my little car, and went to our trailer. It was as if Tom had never been away. Jay wasn’t there yet, so Tom sat and I did his makeup. Jay showed up just as I was handing Tom his costume to change. I had done a fantastic job; you would never know that in reality, Tom still had two black eyes and was covered in purple and yellow bruises.

“Wow, you look great!” Jay said, impressed, and Tom chuckled, smirking.

“Bethany has a great, enormous talent,” he said, closing the bathroom door.

I hurried with Jay’s makeup, and Tom only had to wait a few minutes, and I was handing Jay his costume to change, and patting the chair for Tom to sit. Quite frankly, I was a little concerned about the shaved patch in his hair, where they’d inserted the drain tube after his accident, so I armed myself with some heavy-duty gel and stickum. I needn’t have worried; it really wasn’t difficult at all to create a ‘comb over’ that effectively covered the ‘bald spot’ at the top of Tom’s head.

I rotated the chair, stepping back and looking at Tom from all sides, to make sure that all the bases were covered, then I turned the chair back around so he could look for himself. “Well, what do you think?” I asked him. He turned his head this way and that, and then Jay came out of the bathroom.

“Wow, I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself,” he said. “That’s amazing.”

“It really is,” Tom said. ”Now I look the way I feel! Thanks, Bethy.”

“You guys need to go,” I told them. “I’ll catch up. There’s a lot to do. Go!”

Tom stopped briefly to caress my face and give me a gentle kiss, and then he and Jay left for the location.

Filming went well, although with Tom in every scene, I could see him getting more and more fatigued. I don’t think anyone else could tell, but I know him well enough that I could tell that he was getting close to the end of what he was capable of. When he came over to me for his touchup at the next cut, as I smoothed his makeup with a sponge, I looked into his eyes, frowning a little at what I found there.

“You need a break,” I told him. "Are you going to tell Danny, or am I?”

“We can’t,” Tom said, gritting his teeth. “Next cut should be lunch. I’ll make it."

I frowned. “I don’t like it,” I said. ”I’m watching you, Tom.”

“OK,” he said, wincing. “If the next cut isn’t lunch, I’ll tell Danny I need to break.”

I nodded, cupping his face in my hand, and pressing a kiss into his hair.

I watched him carefully during the next few scenes, and he seemed all right, but when Danny called the break for lunch, I let out a held breath. Tom headed for the lunch spread, knowing that I would join him. We got our food and sat at a table with Jay and Clarice.

“Eat up, Tom,” I said. "I need you to eat so that you’ll have some time to lay down before starting up again.”

“Lay down?” he said, frowning. “Where?”

“Just anywhere," I said. “If you don’t, you’ll never make it through this afternoon. I’m guessing l can get Jay and Clarice to help me should you prove unreasonable…” I glanced at Jay and Clarice for confirmation, and they both nodded, unsmiling.

“All right, all right,” Tom said, eating steadily, not exactly rushing, but not being leisurely about it, either. When he was finished, he rose from the table. We bussed our dishes, then Tom followed me over to a corner. I took my coat and laid it on the ground, sitting down beside it with my back braced against the wall. I patted my lap.

“Lie down on my coat and put your head here,” I said, and he did so, his movements so graceful that l couldn’t help admiring him, and I felt a trickle of moisture between my thighs. ”Damn, you’re a sexy man,” l murmured. “Just watching you fold your tall self down here has me wet.”

He grinned, his eyes closed. “I’m afraid I’m not up for a porta-loo today, love.”

I rubbed my hand over his chest gently. “Funny, Tom,” I whispered. “I wish I could pet your face and run my hands through your hair right now,” I said wistfully. “I’m so going to do that tonight once you’re cleaned up.”

The rest of the afternoon went well. Having Tom lie down was a good idea, and he even admitted it, thanking me. The only thing I was worried about was a scene towards the end between Tom and Jennifer. It wasn’t an intimate scene — those wouldn’t happen til Cambridge — but still, I was wary about how she might act towards him. But it seemed as if I was needlessly worried, because everything looked totally appropriate and aboveboard.

Tom carried my bag, and Jay carried Clarice’s, and we four walked together to our trailer when Danny called the wrap for the day. Jay showered first, and Tom, Clarice, and l sat and chatted, then Jay and Clarice hugged us and left. I knew they were planning on driving to Cambridge together over the weekend. I read a book while Tom showered, then he came out, wrapped in a towel, and dressed while I enjoyed the show.

“I’m resisting you,” l murmured, licking my lips, “because you aren’t fit for anything but dinner and bed.”

“I wish that weren’t true,” Tom said wearily. “But once again, you, my Bethany, are the voice of reason.”

I hugged him briefly, stroking his cheek and running my fingers through his wet curls. “You go straight home,” l ordered, “I’ll pick up some dinner on my way. Anything special you’d like?“

“Just you,” he said, kissing me gently. “As for dinner, surprise me.”

“You got it,” I said, returning his kiss. “See you back home.”

I worried a little about him driving home alone, he was so tired, but I had to trust him to not push himself too far. I opted for burgers and fries, something quick, so that I could get home to him as soon as possible, and as I parked my little car next to his Jag, I breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. Letting myself in and walking down the hall to the living room, I felt a huge feeling of déjà vu when l found him snoring softly on the couch. I hated to wake him, but he needed to eat, and he’d sleep a lot better in his bed. I sat down beside him, petting his face gently, scratching his scalp gently with my nails, and he opened his eyes, smiling faintly.

“Bethany,” he said, giving me puppy eyes and a dorky smile.

“I brought burgers and fries, and milkshakes,” I said softly. “Let’s eat.”

Dinner tasted surprisingly good, and Tom must have been really hungry, because he wolfed his down, and then finished mine. “I sure love you, Bethany,” he said gratefully. "Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome,” I murmured. Clean up was easy, and then we retired to Tom’s room.

“Let’s sleep naked," he said wickedly. He peeled his clothes off, tossing them on the floor, before diving on to the bed and burrowing under the covers. “Come here, Bethany.”

I shed my clothes quickly, folding them neatly onto a chair before joining him. “Just to sleep,” I said warningly. “You really are too tired for anything else.”

“I know,” he said regretfully, "but I’m not too tired to hold you, and feel your skin against mine. And we’ll have a head start tomorrow morning.” He made this expression with his right eyebrow.

I swatted his chest. “You know I love you, right Tom?”

“You’d better," he growled, hauling me against him and cuddling me. “I love you, Bethy,” he said, his voice slurred, and his body immediately relaxed, and I knew he was asleep.


	38. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom...

Chapter 38, Tom

It was wonderful to be getting up with Bethany, getting ready to go to work – wonderful to be going back to the job I love, and wonderful to be able to spend the day with Bethany, as it was. I thought about going on a run, but, realistically, just getting through my scenes would probably totally wipe me out. I knew I had no stamina, so, wisely, I think, I didn’t try to go on a run, even though I really missed it. Bethany asked me about it, so I told her my thoughts.

“I don’t think I should try to do too much too soon,” I told her truthfully. “I have to be on set, and it’s already liable to totally wear me out. If I do a run first, I probably won’t make it through the day.”

“You’re so smart!” she said, kissing my nose.

We got up and showered together, trying to save time, but it almost backfired on us. Bethany playfully reached out and grabbed my semi-erect cock, and I lost control. I’d pressed her up against the shower wall, kissing her deeply, our tongues dueling, my hips bucking, thrusting my cock into her hand.

I pressed my face against hers, groaning, “We don’t have time for this,” but I couldn’t stop myself from fucking her hand.

“Maybe not,” she moaned, and I could tell she needed it as much as I did, “but I think we’d better make time. You can’t be sporting this boner on set.”

“When you put it that way,” I gasped. “A quickie then.” I grasped one of her legs, wrapping it around me, and entered her swiftly, and she cried out in approval. I was already out of control, and my thrusts were fast and hard, with no real rhythm, but with my thumb working her clit, in only a few minutes, she was coming around me, her fingers bruising my arse.

“Come on, Tom,” she moaned. “Come with me.”

“Dear god, Bethany, you feel good,” I groaned, and with one last thrust, I came deep inside her.

“Better?” she asked, sighing.

“Shit, yes,” I told her quietly, as I gradually slipped out of her. We finished showering, then continued with our morning preparations, dressing and eating a quick breakfast of coffee, juice, and bagels with peanut butter.

Of course, I drove my Jag, since we had left her car in the parking lot on set, and she obviously didn’t trust me, because she made me promise to let her bring her car home that evening after work. Clearly, she knows me well, that I would be tempted to ask her to come with me, because, quite frankly, we’re just too new, and I don’t like being apart from her. I know, I need to grow up. But, I know I’ve mentioned, I’ve been hurt in the past, and Bethany was soothing to my bruised heart. I need her.

On the other hand, she was right to want to get her car home, as this would no longer be our location after today, and we would be gone for a few weeks, and leaving her car here that long would definitely be a bad idea. The next day, we would drive together to Cambridge in the Jag, and then filming would recommence on the following Monday. So far we had only scratched the surface of the story; the real action would take place over the next few weeks in Cambridge.

When filming for this movie was completed, Bethany and I could finally talk about our future. Now that Lance was moving in with Luke — and damn, that was more sudden and quick than Bethany and I had been – there was nothing to stop Bethany from moving in with me, and then we could plan our wedding. Apparently, their flat was paid for through the end of the month, and Lance planned to begin moving his things this weekend, but we would have to wait to move Bethany’s gear. We’d have to decide what to do with her furniture. Oh, I was just so excited at the prospect of having Bethany permanently in my life, so happy to know that she is mine.

And, how about that Lance and Luke! So happy for both of them! Luke was finally getting the happiness I knew he’d always deserved, and with Lance being Bethany’s best friend, I knew that Lance and Luke would continue to be close to us.

Friday, I parked next to Bethany’s little car, and we went together to our trailer. It really seemed like the accident had been a dream, like I had just been there yesterday. Jay wasn’t there yet, so Bethany did my makeup, and then Jay showed up just as she was handing me my costume to change. I could hardly believe what a fantastic job Bethany had done on me; you couldn’t tell at all that I still had two black eyes and a plethora of purple and yellow bruises.

“Wow, you look great!” Jay said, impressed, and I couldn’t help laughing at his reaction.

“Bethany has a great, enormous talent,” I said, taking my costume into the bathroom to change. I guessed I would have several costume changes today, but this is what I would start with.

I had to wait a few minutes for Bethany to finish Jay’s makeup, but when he went to change, Bethany got busy with my hair. I had a little shaved patch on top of my head, where they’d inserted the drain tube after my accident, and I was curious to see how she was going to fix that. She had set out some heavy-duty gel and stickum, and she cleverly created a ‘comb over’ that effectively covered the problem. I shouldn’t have doubted her, I know how skilled she is.

She rotated me in the chair, stepping back and looking at me from all sides, then she turned the chair back around so that I could take a look. “Well, what do you think?” she asked me. I turned my head this way and that, looking at myself from all angles, and when Jay came out of the bathroom, he stopped, whistling.

“Wow, I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself,” he said. “That’s amazing.”

“It really is,” I agreed. For the first time in over a week, I looked like myself. ”Now I look the way I feel! Thanks, Bethy.”

“You guys need to go,” Bethany bade us. “I’ll catch up. There’s a lot to do. Go!”

Of course, I had to stop and give her a kiss, and then Jay and I together left for the location.

“So, how’s it going?” he asked while we walked. “Are you really up to today?”

“Honestly?” I asked wryly, “probably not. But I’m committed to this project, and today’s arguably going to be the hardest day, so that if I can get through today, it’s all downhill from here.”

“True,” he agreed. “And how are things with Bethany? No regrets?” he asked.

“God, no,” I said, grinning. “Her roommate is moving in with his boyfriend, so she’ll be able to move in with me after Cambridge, and then, I guess we’ll plan our wedding. How about you and Clarice? Any developments there?”

Jay just smirked, shaking his head.

Filming went well, but I had underestimated how exhausted it would make me. Because I was in every scene, I had absolutely no down-time, and I found myself hoping that no one else could tell how close I was to total collapse. Of course, I hadn’t factored in Bethany’s reaction. She knows me well, and she was already worried about me, so she was already keeping an eye out. When I came over for my touchup at one of the cuts, as she worked on me, she scrutinized me, frowning at what she saw.

“You need a break,” she said flatly. "Are you going to tell Danny, or am I?”

“We can’t,” I said, my teeth set. “Next cut should be lunch. I’ll make it."

She frowned harder. “I don’t like it,” she said. ”I’m watching you, Tom.” Like a hawk. I was grateful.

“OK,” I said, hurting a little. “If the next cut isn’t lunch, I’ll tell Danny I need to break.”

She nodded, cupping my face in her hand, and kissing the top of my head.

I was aware of her watching me closely during the next few scenes, and I hung in there, but when Danny called the break for lunch, I was honestly near the point of collapse. I headed for the lunch spread, knowing that Bethany would be over as soon as she could manage. We got our food and sat at a table with Jay and Clarice.

“Eat up, Tom,” Bethany said. "I need you to eat so that you’ll have some time to lay down before starting up again.”

What did she have in mind? There was nowhere. “Lay down?” I said with a frown. “Where?”

“Just anywhere," she said. “If you don’t, you’ll never make it through this afternoon. I’m guessing I can get Jay and Clarice to help me should you prove unreasonable…” I glanced at Jay and Clarice to see if they actually agreed with her, and they both nodded, unsmiling. So, they all thought I should lie down. Hmmmm.

“All right, all right,” I agreed, and concentrated on my meal, knowing I needed the food, but now that I’d agreed to have a lie-down, it sounded damn good. When I was done we took care of our dishes and trays, and Bethany went and sat down in a corner, resting her back against the wall. She laid her coat down and then urged me to lay down on it and put my head in her lap, so I did so. ”Damn, you’re a sexy man,” she murmured. “Just watching you fold your tall self down here has me wet.”

That made me smile, but I kept my eyes closed. I knew I wasn’t capable of doing anything about it, but I didn’t want to tease her with how much her words aroused me. “I’m afraid I’m not up for a porta-loo today, love,” I said jokingly.

She caressed my chest gently. “Funny, Tom,” she whispered. “I wish I could pet your face and run my hands through your hair right now. I’m so going to do that tonight once you’re cleaned up.”

The lie-down turned out to be a great idea, and I thanked Bethany for insisting on it. It refreshed me, and I know it helped get me through the afternoon. Bethany’s so smart. I was lucky she was looking out for me.

After the wrap, I grabbed Bethany’s bag, and Jay shouldered Clarice’s, and we four walked together to our trailer. Jay showered first, and Bethany, Clarice, and l sat and chatted, then Jay and Clarice hugged us and left. I knew they were planning on driving to Cambridge together over the weekend. I think Bethany read a book while I showered, then I came out, wrapped in a towel, and dressed in the main room. I didn’t mean to be provocative, but I was aware of Bethany’s eyes on me.

“I’m resisting you,” she murmured, licking her lips, “because you aren’t fit for anything but dinner and bed.”

Damn. “I wish that weren’t true,” I said wearily, but sad to say, it was. “But once again, you, my Bethany, are the voice of reason.”

She gave me a hug, making good on her threat/promise to pet my face and play with my hair. “You go straight home,” she said. It was an order. “I’ll pick up some dinner on my way. Anything special you’d like?“

“Just you,” I said, kissing her gently. “As for dinner, surprise me.”

“You got it,” she said, kissing me back. “See you back home.”

I was so tired, I didn’t argue at all, but drove straight home, parking the Jag, going immediately to the living room and falling on the couch. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, Bethany was once more beside me, petting my face and scratching her nails gently over my scalp; it felt wonderful, and I opened my eyes, smiling at my love.

“Bethany,” I said, giving a wide-eyed look and a smile.

“I brought burgers and fries, and milkshakes,” she said softly. “Let’s eat.”

I hadn’t realized how really hungry I was, but I wolfed mine down, and then finished Bethany’s. “I sure love you, Bethany,” I said with gratitude. ”Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome,” she murmured. There wasn’t much clean up, and then we were able to go to my room. I was overcome with the thought of feeling her body skin to skin with mine. I was too tired to do any physical loving, but I still longed to hold her against me.

“Let’s sleep naked,“ I said, hoping. I took my clothes off, tossing them willy-nilly, before getting into my bed. “Come here, Bethany.”

She undressed quickly, taking the time to neatly fold her clothes onto a chair before getting into bed with me. “Just to sleep,” she said, brooking no arguments, not that I wanted to make any. “You really are too tired for anything else.”

She was definitely correct. “I know,” I said regretfully,” but I’m not too tired to hold you, and feel your skin against mine. And we’ll have a head start tomorrow morning.” I looked at her suggestively.

She thumped my chest. “You know I love you, right Tom?”

“You’d better," I growled, cuddling her against me. “I love you, Bethy,” I said, and that’s the last thing I remember for a while.


	39. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My disclaimer here is that I have never actually been to the places I’ve described, so please forgive any inaccuracies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is starting to wind down. There will be a little bit of drama here towards the end. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 39, Bethany

The drive to Cambridge was lovely. It isn’t very far from London, and after packing up and loading the Jag, we set out fairly early Saturday morning. It was true, we didn’t have to be there til Monday, but Tom thought it would be fun to show me some of his favorite things and places from his uni days. Since I had never been there before, it seemed like a fun little mini-vacation for the two of us, where Tom could share some of the things he’d loved from his time there.

When we arrived in the town, we went straight to the bed and breakfast inn that was serving as the headquarters for the crew. Danny and Davy had reserved the entire place for us, although we would be expected to share rooms. Tom and I went to the little registration desk to check in.

“Tom Hiddleston and Bethany Murrow,” Tom told the teenaged boy who was manning the desk.

The boy grinned. “Wow, saw your name, but I hardly dared to believe it!” he said to Tom. “I mean, the chance to meet two of my favorite actors, and two of my favorite actresses, too.” He reached under the desk and pulled out a large, glossy photo of Tom as Loki. “Can I have your autograph?”

“Of course,” Tom said, smiling one of his huge smiles. “Have you a sharpie?” The boy produced one and handed it to Tom.

“What’s your name?” Tom asked him.

“Nathan," the boy replied, beside himself with fanboy feels.

“To Nathan, best wishes! Love your life! All my best, Tom Hiddleston,” Tom wrote and signed the boy’s photo.

“Thanks, Mr. Hiddleston," Nathan said happily.

“Just Tom, Nathan,” Tom said. “And Nathan, can you keep a secret?”

“Of course, Mr. Hi - uh, Tom,” Nathan said, his eyes huge.

Tom brought up our clasped hands, showing Nathan my ring. “Don’t tell anybody, but Bethany here is my fiancée. She’s going to marry me.” My heart skipped a beat at the pride and excitement in his voice.

Nathan didn’t say anything, just silently handed us each a key, still looking wide-eyed and a little dazed.

My cheeks pink, I looked down at the key fob in my hand. Room D. With the way Tom was holding his, I could see he was in Room C.

“Both of your roommates are already here,” Nathan said helpfully. But I felt dismay. I was hoping that Tom and I would get to be together. Well, we could try to appeal to Jay and Clarice. Tom and I got our suitcases and headed up the stairs to our rooms.

The doors to both rooms were standing open, and Jay and Clarice were sitting on the double bed in Room D. With the doors open, we could see that Room C had twin beds, and as Tom and I stood looking in the open doorway of Room D, Jay looked up, smirking at us. “How do you two feel about twin beds?” he asked.

Tom and I looked at each other. Truthfully, we slept on top of each other most of the time anyway, both of us liking to hold the other while sleeping. As much as I’d known he hadn’t wanted to share my little bed in my flat back home, I knew that for the few weeks we would be here, that we would be fine, and it was definitely preferable to sleeping alone.

Tom evidently agreed with me. “We can do that,” he said quietly, and I held out my hand with the Room D key, and Clarice got up and we traded keys.

“We were hoping you’d say that,” Jay said, grinning. “Now I suppose we should tell the front desk what our arrangements are, in case anyone needs to find us for any reason.”

“Bethany and I can tell them on our way out,” Tom said. “We’re just dropping off our gear, and then doing some sight-seeing." He looked at me, a question in his eyes, and I nodded slightly. “You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

“How nice!” Clarice said. “I’d like that. Jay?”

“Sure!" he said. “You guys unpack or something, and how about we all meet up at the front desk in fifteen?”

“Sounds good," Tom said, taking my hand. “See you in a few.”

When Tom and I got down to the lobby, Jay and Clarice were already there, talking to Nathan, who, as he had implied, seemed to be a fan of Jay’s as well as of Tom’s. When we approached to join them, he said, "Awesome! You guys are friends!”

“Actually, yeah, we are!” Jay said, slinging his arm around Tom’s neck, grinning.

“I thought we’d visit the Fitz and the Backs today. What do you think, Nathan?” Tom asked. Including the boy in our plans made Nathan smile.

“Well,” he said, “you don’t have a full day, so I think that is a great plan. If you like, I could make you up a list of places you could visit tomorrow, when you’ll have all day.”

“Oh, Nathan, that would be so sweet!” I said, smiling at him, and he blushed. I knew that Tom pretty much had our agenda set, but maybe Nathan’s ideas could be included, as things could have changed since Tom’s uni days.

“I’ll leave it here at the desk for you,” he said. "Have fun today.”

“We will,” Clarice told him, and the four of us left the inn.

“That was sweet of you,” Tom said to me quietly, kissing me swiftly. Then, “Obviously, we can go in my car,” he said, louder, for the group, pulling out his keys, and heading for the Jag.

“Man, I’ve never ridden in one of these before,” Jay said, sounding impressed. “You may drive us, Jeeves,” he said, in an exaggerated, fake, smarmy British accent, and we all laughed. He and Clarice got in the back, I got in the front, and of course, Tom held my door, then went around to the driver’s side.

The Fitzwilliam Museum, one of first public art museums in Britain, is called the Fitz by the locals. It was built for the collected artworks of the seventh Viscount Fitzwilliam, who left the collection to his former university in his will. The building itself is a work of art, a huge mish-mash of different architectural styles, a conglomeration of mosaic and marble, Greek and Egyptian, and more, begun in 1837.

The artwork it houses is just as unique, consisting of a series of lower galleries stuffed with treasures from antiquity; such things as a Roman funerary couch, an inscribed copper votive from AD 100-200 Yemen, a figurine of the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet, some sarcophagi, some animal mummies, and several illuminated manuscripts.

The upper galleries boast more modern masterpieces, by such artists as da Vinci, Titian, Rubens, Gainsborough, Constable, Rembrandt, Picasso, del Ponte, and Rosa. We arrived right on time for the one-hour guided tour.

After thoroughly immersing ourselves in this fantastic visual feast, we moved on to a place of total opposites. The Backs is what they call the myriad green spaces that surround the different colleges that "back" on the river Cam, gorgeous greens, with views of the many colleges’ ancient, ivy-covered halls. The river is crossed back and forth by a series of footbridges, and we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering among the parks, crossing the river here and there. I especially enjoyed the fanciful Bridge of Sighs, which we first spotted from the Wren Bridge, and we also crossed the Clare College bridge, which is the oldest crossing, built in 1639, and the precarious-looking wooden Mathematical bridge.

Tom held my hand as we strolled along, and Jay and Clarice did the same. They were a little ways ahead of us, Tom naturally taking it slow (and I honestly wondered if he should be on his feet at all, but the doctor had cleared him, and I knew it would be a waste of time, energy, and breath trying to convince him that he should take it easy, so, I honestly didn’t even try). So, we followed after Jay and Clarice, and I began to wonder what was wrong with Jay. He had seemed fine earlier, but as we strolled the grounds in this beautiful setting, I could see that he was becoming more and more on edge. They began to pull steadily ahead, speeding up, while Tom and I were actually slowing down, and after a while, they were quite a ways ahead of us, but I could still clearly see the tension emanating from Jay’s body and the stiff way he was holding himself. Suddenly, I realized what was going to happen, and I gripped Tom’s hand tightly, stopping him from going any closer.

“We need to give them some privacy," I murmured. “If I’m not mistaken, Jay is about to propose.”

Tom turned to me, smiling gently, giving me the puppy eyes, and cupping my cheek is his big, warm hand. He lowered his lips to mine, kissing me sweetly, and I leaned into his kiss. He pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head. “How do you know?” he asked.

“Just watch,” I said, and sure enough, Jay pulled Clarice off of the path, positioning her under a tree. He gazed down at her for a few minutes, before dropping to one knee in front of her, holding out something that I assumed to be a ring. I could faintly hear Clarice’s squeal of delight from where Tom and I were standing with our arms wrapped around each other.

Clarice held her left hand out, and Jay placed the ring on her finger (I believe. We were really too far away to see that, but I was pretty sure that’s what was happening, and of course, later it came out that I was right). Clarice grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet, and flinging herself into his arms. They embraced and kissed passionately, and I know both Tom and felt a little voyeuristic, so we closed our eyes to give them privacy, and did the same.

“I love you,” Tom murmured in my ear, nuzzling my neck.

“I love you back,” I returned, running my hand through his hair.

When their kiss broke, they turned around and headed back towards us, meeting us in the middle. Silently, I held my hand out to Clarice, and she gave me her left, and I admired the rather large diamond solitaire Jay had placed there.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” I said truthfully, beaming at her. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Oh, I can’t believe you finally asked me,” Clarice said, gazing at Jay adoringly. "The rest of the cast and crew are going to be so sick of the four of us and our mushy love stories, by the end of this filming.”

“Probably,” Jay said, smirking. “Let ‘em! We’re young, free, and in love. There’s no stopping us now!”

Tom clapped him on the back. “Well said, Jay," he said happily.

We rounded up the evening by having a celebratory dinner together in a karaoke bar, where Tom put everybody else to shame, singing several songs in his inimitable style. Jay and Clarice stumbled through a painful rendition of Sonny and Cher’s ‘I Got You, Babe,’ which, however bad, was nevertheless adorable, while I wowed the crowd with John Fogarty’s ‘Centerfield’ and the Peter, Paul, and Mary arrangement of the Bob Dylan classic ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.’

When we weren’t looking, Tom sneakily snuck in one last song, and proceeded to make me cry by singing the Hollies’ ‘Air That I Breathe.’ I think I had once mentioned in passing to him that I thought it was the most romantic song ever written, and he certainly made it so, when he stood there on that stage, his love for me naked on his face, and sang that song straight to me.

Of course, that effectively ended our evening out, and as we all piled back into Tom’s Jag, I was sensitively aware of Jay and Clarice kissing in the back. We returned to the inn and bid each other a happy good night, exchanging hugs all around. It had been a very pleasant and fun day, and I was looking forward to more tomorrow.

We found out that the walls of the inn were not the thickest in the world, as we could tell that Jay and Clarice were celebrating their engagement by spending the rest of the night engaging in activities that sounded quite similar to the ones that Tom and I were doing…


	40. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I always love Tom’s POV. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chapter 40, Tom

Even though we didn’t have to be in Cambridge til Monday morning, Bethany and I had decided to go early Saturday morning, in order to have some time to explore the town. I hadn’t really been back since my uni days, and I was looking forward to reacquainting myself with my old haunts, and in sharing some of the attractions with Bethany.

It’s not a long drive, and only took about an hour, so when we pulled into town, I had Bethany navigate for me, and we went straight to the inn where we all were staying. The entire facility was reserved for the film crew, but due to the size of the place, and, of course, the microscopic budget, we were sharing rooms, roughly equivalent with the way we were sharing trailers. Bethany and I entered the little office of the delightful inn, and went to the desk to check in.

“Tom Hiddleston and Bethany Murrow,” I said to the young man who was on duty.

The young fellow smiled shyly. “Wow, saw your name, but I hardly dared to believe it!” he said to me. “I mean, the chance to meet two of my favorite actors, and two of my favorite actresses, too.” He reached under the desk and pulled out a large, glossy photo of Loki, which, I’ll admit, made me blush a little. “Can I have your autograph?”

“Of course,” I said with a smile. I hope it continues, the feeling I get, because, so far, it never gets old. “Have you a sharpie?” The boy had one ready for me.

“What’s your name?” I asked him.

“Nathan," he replied, and he really did seem so excited.

“To Nathan, best wishes! Love your life! All my best, Tom Hiddleston,” I wrote and signed young Nathan’s photo.

“Thanks, Mr. Hiddleston," Nathan said happily.

“Just Tom, Nathan,” I said. Suddenly, l felt a Loki moment coming on. “And Nathan, can you keep a secret?”

“Of course, Mr. Hi - uh, Tom,” Nathan said, his eyes huge.

I reached down and took Bethany’s left hand in my right, and brought them up to show Nathan Bethany’s ring. “Don’t tell anybody, but Bethany here is my fiancée. She’s going to marry me.” Elation. It made Bethany blush.

Nathan didn’t say anything, just silently handed us each a key, still looking wide-eyed and a little dazed.

“Both of your roommates are already here,” he said helpfully. Oh. Well, that meant that Jay and Clarice were here. It also probably meant that Bethany and I had each been given a key to a different room. Well, we’d most likely be able to work things out with Jay and Clarice. We got our suitcases and headed up the stairs to check it out.

The upstairs corridor was light and airy, with rooms along both sides. Bethany had the key to Room D, and I had been given Room C. The rooms were adjacent to each other, and the doors to both were standing open; Jay and Clarice were sitting on the double bed in Room D. We could see that Room C had twin beds, and Jay looked up from his perch, smirking at us. “How do you two feel about twin beds?” he asked.

Bethany and I looked at each other. Other than the fact that I am so tall, it shouldn’t be a problem. Both Bethany and I are cuddlers – we hold each other all night while we sleep, totally intertwined with each other. It’s habit-forming, and is, I’m pretty sure, the reason why I was so desperate to have Bethany with me at night. I already knew that I’d have nightmares and wouldn’t sleep very well without her. I don’t think either of us wanted to argue about the double, and if twins or separate were our two options, I knew we’d both want the twins.

“We can do that,” I said quietly, and Bethany and Clarice traded room keys.

“We were hoping you’d say that,” Jay said, grinning. “Now I suppose we should tell the front desk what our arrangements are, in case anyone needs to find us for any reason.”

“Bethany and I can tell them on our way out,” I said. “We’re just dropping off our gear, and then doing some sight-seeing." Hmmm. It might be fun to have them along, too. I wondered if Bethany would mind. Questioningly, I caught her eyes, and she gave me a little nod. “You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

“How nice!” Clarice said. “I’d like that. Jay?”

“Sure!" he said. “You guys unpack or something, and how about we all meet up at the front desk in fifteen?”

“Sounds good," I said, taking Bethany by the hand. “See you in a few.”

When Bethany and I got down to the lobby, Jay and Clarice were already there, talking to Nathan, who looked as star-struck by Jay as he had been by – well, by me. When we joined them, he said, "Awesome! You guys are friends!”

“Actually, yeah, we are!” Jay said, draping his arm around my neck, grinning.

“I thought we’d visit the Fitz and the Backs today. What do you think, Nathan?” I asked him, and he smiled.

“Well,” he said, “you don’t have a full day, so I think that is a great plan. If you like, I could make you up a list of places you could visit tomorrow, when you’ll have all day.”

“Oh, Nathan, that would be so sweet!” Bethany said, smiling at him, and he blushed. I pretty much had our agenda set, but Bethany was sweet to include the boy. She’s like that; it’s one of the things I love about her, of course. And, well, maybe Nathan’s ideas could be included, as things could have changed since my uni days.

“I’ll leave it here at the desk for you,” he said. "Have fun today.”

“We will,” Clarice told him, and the four of us left the inn.

“That was sweet of you,” I quietly said to Bethany, kissing her quickly. “Obviously, we can go in my car,” I said to the group, pulling out my keys, and heading for the Jag.

“Man, I’ve never ridden in one of these before,” Jay said, sounding impressed. “You may drive us, Jeeves,” he said, in an exaggerated, fake, smarmy British accent, and we all laughed. He and Clarice got in the back, and I held Bethany’s door, then went around to the driver’s side.

One of my favorite places in Cambridge is the Fitz, which is what the locals call the Fitzwilliam Museum. It was begun as a way to house the library and art collection of the seventh Viscount Fitzwilliam, who left them to the university in his will. His bequest also included £100,000, which was to be used to construct a building to house the treasures. Construction on the current building was begun 1842, was completed in 1848, and was added to several times of the years, with the result that the way building is now, is a grand conglomeration of styles and materials.

The museum is divided into five departments, with Manuscripts and Printed Books being my favorite, of course. I didn’t push for that, though; I knew that my preferences would not necessary be the first choice of the others in our group. We didn’t have enough time to see everything, so we wandered the lower galleries, checking out the Antiquities section, before going upstairs to view the paintings, masterpieces by the likes of Rubens, van Dyke, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Constable, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, and Picasso. Heady stuff, indeed.

For the rest of the day, I had chosen to wander along the footpaths of the parks known as The Backs, so-called because they meander along behind the buildings that make up the various colleges of the university, the “back sides”, weaving in and around the river Cam, crossing over here and there by a series of footbridges, most of which you can access for free. My favorite has always been the Mathematical bridge, a wooden construction that looks quite insubstantial, which for some reason appeals to the rebel in me, a way to not always play it safe.

What a pleasant afternoon we had, the weather fine, the company of friends, my beautiful lady at my side. I held Bethany’s hand as we walked along, in no particular hurry. I have to say, I was getting a little tired, and Jay and Clarice started to pull a little ahead of us. They too held hands, and really, the setting was just so idyllic I found myself just sighing with joy and contentment. I didn’t realize that Bethany and I had slowed down, or maybe it was that Jay and Clarice had sped up. Maybe it was a combination of both. No matter really, but I suddenly realized that we were quite a ways behind them, and I started to go a little faster, when Bethany gripped my hand tightly, effectively stopping me in my tracks.

“We need to give them some privacy," she murmured. “If I’m not mistaken, Jay is about to propose.”

That was really sweet, and I turned to face her, smiling at her with my heart in my eyes, I’m sure, and cupping her cheek, I kissed her gently, and she kissed me back, cuddling against me. I took her fully into my embrace, wrapping my arms about her, and tucking her head under my chin. “How do you know?” I asked.

“Just watch,” she said, and damn, she was right, Jay pulled Clarice off of the path beneath the shade of a tree. He’s quite a bit taller than her, and he stood for just a moment, just looking down at her, before getting down on one knee and offering her his heart. From where we were, we could hear Clarice’s cry of delight as she held one hand out to Jay and he took it in both of his. Clarice then pulled him back to his feet and they kissed passionately, and I took the opportunity to kiss Bethany, too. It seemed less intrusive that way.

I nuzzled my nose into Bethany’s hair, behind her ear. “I love you,” I whispered to her.

“I love you back,” she replied, running her fingers through my hair.

Clarice and Jay stopped kissing eventually, and turned around and headed back towards us, meeting us in the middle. Silently, Bethany held her hand out to Clarice, and Clarice showed her her left hand, and I could see the rather large diamond solitaire Jay had placed there.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Bethany said, smiling at her. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Oh, I can’t believe you finally asked me,” Clarice said, gazing at Jay adoringly. "The rest of the cast and crew are going to be so sick of the four of us and our mushy love stories, by the end of this filming.”

“Probably,” Jay said, smirking. “Let ‘em! We’re young, free, and in love. There’s no stopping us now!”

I clapped my friend on the back. “Well said, Jay," I agreed.

Well, everybody thought we should celebrate by having dinner together; how we ended up in a karaoke bar, I’m not sure. But, I love singing, even though I’m not particularly good, and being me, I couldn’t help going up several times, as it’s just so hard to pick one song.

I encouraged Jay and Clarice, and they treated us all to a passable performance of Sonny and Cher’s ‘I Got You, Babe.’ Bethany revealed a bidden talent for singing! I didn’t know, but she has a lovely tenor/contralto voice, and she stunned me with renditions of John Fogarty’s ‘Centerfield’ and the Peter, Paul, and Mary arrangement of the Bob Dylan classic ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.’

But, I personally had a mission. I had promised myself, that if the opportunity ever arose to sing just for her, I would do it, the song she had once mentioned in passing that she thought was the most romantic song ever written, the Hollies’ ‘Air That I Breathe.’ I had managed to request it for last, and when it came up, I sang it for her, with all the love I have for her for all to see. Silly Tom, heart on his sleeve again. This time knew I had the right girl.

Of course, everyone was ready to be done after that, too hard to top it, after all, and as I drove us back to the inn, Bethany happy but silent beside me, Jay and Clarice wrapped up in each other together in the back, I felt so much love and joy and contentment, with friends like Jay and Clarice, and Luke and Lance, and others, my wonderful family, and especially, my Bethany to share my life. At that moment, my happiness seemed complete.

Well, um, the walls of the inn are probably a 6.5 out of 10 on the thickness scale. Bethany and I could hear Jay and Clarice continuing to celebrate their engagement in a very natural way. Why not? So, hey, chuckling, Bethany and I joined them. They were busy; I’m sure they never heard a thing!


	41. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about this chapter. I just not used to taking four days to write one update! I should be able to write quite a bit this weekend. I hope everyone enjoys this.

Chapter 41, Bethany

Tom and I spent all day Sunday, just exploring the town, visiting some of the places Tom had enjoyed when he was a student at uni. Some things were different; his favorite sandwich shop was now a dry cleaners. We had stopped at the front desk on our way out, to get Nathan’s list, and he had included a few things that Tom had forgotten, and I made a mental note to thank him the next time I saw him.

The inn was providing the film crew with dinners, served buffet style, so after a hearty meal, Tom and I caught an early night, as filming would resume early the next morning, which was Monday. Tom and I planned to just travel together to the set. We had visited the location the day before, so we knew where to go. Tom still wasn’t up to a morning run, and I know he was missing it, but with filming all day, it would have been pushing it to try it. He did get up half an hour earlier than I did, to do some yoga, and then we showered and dressed, and headed for the location. The inn was providing a golf cart to transport us, so we left the Jag in the parking lot and caught our ride.

We were filming on location in some of the university buildings, where renovations were being planned and no classes were being held. Clarice and I would have a permanent station on set at the location, as well as access to the trailers, which had been brought to serve as first prep rooms, dressing rooms, and a private place for down times. Tom and I arrived before Jay and Clarice, and I had Tom just about ready, so that when Jay arrived, I went right to work on him.

I knew that the next several day’s scenes would involve all four major characters: played Jay, Tom, Kate, and Jennifer, and the love stories would heat up. I had read the script and was reassured that the love scenes would not be graphic, and I was grateful for that, because I don’t think I would have been comfortable seeing Tom making love to a beautiful girl. The first of the really romantic scenes wouldn’t be filmed til the next week, though, so I would have a few more days to get used to the idea. I also knew that Danny and Davy’s wives, the women that Kate and Jennifer were playing, would be visiting the set at some point, and I was quite looking forward to that.

Tom’s injuries continued to heal, and by Friday, he was looking pretty good. It had been just over two weeks since his accident, and he had been gradually increasing his yoga time in the mornings, and I knew that he planned to start running the next Monday.

Friday ended up being the day the wives visited the set, and it was fun to take a break and watch them interacting with both the actresses who were playing them, and the actors who were playing their husbands. Danny’s wife, Heather, flirted shamelessly with Tom, and it was somehow so endearing to me to see him blushing so much. He kept glancing at me, giving me a helpless look, and I just looked back at him with a sympathetic grin, shrugging a little. Davy and Danny, and Heather and Davy’s wife Evelyn, were all about ten years older than all of us, and obviously, the couples were still very much in love. I knew the story from reading the script, but I was just really looking forward to seeing how Tom, Jay, Kate, and Jennifer would play it out.

I was filled with admiration for Tom’s acting shills. The man is amazing. The range of emotions, his total emersion into his character — and he was playing Danny, and he had down his mannerisms and everything — it was absolutely uncanny.

Another thing that came to light was that Tom and I had been spotted by paparazzi the weekend before. The fact that we were together ended up being totally eclipsed by Jay and Clarice’s engagement, as the same photographer had caught us both. Tom and I were briefly mentioned in what was basically a story about Jay and Clarice, complete with nice photos of the bunch of us. Luke texted Tom to tell him, and we looked up the story online. So, now people had a face to go with my name. Fortunately, no one seemed too curious as to why we were there at Cambridge with Jay Baruchel and his new fiancée, and the film remained a secret. I now began to wonder when Luke might leak Tom’s and my engagement. So far, Tom’s fans seemed to like me, a miracle considering their reactions to some of his past girlfriends. I know we both hoped that it would last.

After another weekend spent sightseeing with Jay and Clarice, the following Monday, Tom rose extra early and went for a run, for the first time since his accident. I was vaguely aware of him rising and dressing; before he left our room, he gave me a gentle kiss. I had begged him to take it easy, encouraging him to try it, but to be realistic with himself and not overdo, as he was bound to be out of shape. He was only gone for forty-five minutes, and after a quick shower, he was slipping back into bed with me, his hair damp and his skin warm and clean. I burrowed against his chest, and he cradled me in his arms, but the alarm went off only twenty minutes later, and groaning, I got up and took my own shower.

“The angsty scenes are today,” Tom said, as I dressed and dried my hair. “At least the one between me and Jennifer.”

“Is today when you find out that Kate is cheating on you with Jay?” l asked, chuckling, because that’s how the story went.

“Yes, that’s right,” Tom said, grinning. ”Jennifer and I will console each other.”

Over the last week, Tom and Jennifer had been working on their rapport. I knew that Jennifer fancied him, and who could actually blame her; after all, he’s Tom Hiddleston — what living, breathing female could possibly resist him? At first, it had made him extremely uncomfortable, for a variety of reasons. I knew he was sensitive to the fact that I was always on set. I had asked him if he wanted me to step away, if that would put him more at ease, but he claimed not, and that was when I knew that it was more than just my presence that was making him so unsettled.

When I had asked him about it, he confessed that he was having trouble getting past their age difference, and that it was more than just the years (at almost ten years), but the attitude and maturity level. But slowly, he was coming to be able to relax around her, and I was glad. I actually think that his initial unease made the story more believable, as her character had started out in a relationship with Jay’s character, but by the conclusion of the story, would end up with Tom’s.

Watching the four of them playing the heartbreak scene was so poignant. Not only had I read the script, but I had actually met all four of the people involved, and still, I can say that I was moved to tears by their performances. When Jennifer and Tom “caught” Jay and Kate together, I was devastated, and when Jennifer, crying, flung herself into Tom’s arms, it wasn’t Tom-my-fiancé that I saw, it was Heather and Danny holding each other and crying together. Both Danny and Davy were obviously pleased with the scene, and as Danny called the wrap for the day, I packed up my gear and waited for Tom.

He and Jennifer were standing off to the side, having an earnest discussion that I didn’t want to interrupt. Eventually, Tom came over and scooped up my bag. “I want to grab a shower in the trailer,” he said, as we headed that way. “Jennifer wants to meet together in the sitting room of the inn after dinner tonight to discuss the love scene tomorrow.”

“OK,” I said agreeably. “I think Jay and Kate are meeting tonight, too. Clarice said something about it earlier.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Tom said. “Their scene is actually quite a bit more passionate than ours.”

After Tom’s shower, we caught the golf cart back to the inn, then got ready for dinner. We sat at a table with Jay and Clarice, where they confirmed that Jay and Kate were meeting together.

“I think you and I should catch a movie or something, Bethany,” Clarice said. “What do you say?”

“Will your meeting be that long?” I asked, grinning at Tom.

“Probably not,” he said, smiling back at me, “but you should go anyway. I’ll even let you take the Jag.”

“Really? I asked, surprised. “You’d really let me drive the Jag?”

“I really would,” he said, smirking dorkily at me.

“Oh, Tom, I love you!” I said, throwing my arms about him and kissing him noisily.

“I love you too,” he murmured in my ear so that I’m sure only I could hear. “And I trust you. That’s why I’m letting you take the Jag.”

“Thanks, Tom," I said, hugging him again.

“We should get ready and go,” Clarice said. “The movie starts in forty-five minutes.”

Clarice and I went upstairs to get our purses, then went back down. Tom and Jennifer were talking in the sitting room, in chairs before the fire, while Jay and Kate were conversing around a small table in the corner. Clarice and I went to kiss our men goodbye, and Tom stood up and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly before fishing in his pocket for the keys to the Jag.

“Have a good time, enjoy the movie,” he said. “I love you," he whispered, and I mouthed it back to him. As I turned to meet Clarice to go out to the car, I heard Jennifer say, “Isn’t that your HMC tech?”

I could hear Tom’s voice murmuring an answer, but by that time we were too far away for me to understand the words. I shrugged, then Clarice and I went and got in the Jag.

The movie was fun, and I decided that Clarice is an amazing lady. She and I reacted almost exactly the same way, laughing in the same places, gasping in the same places. We both even cried at the end. When it was over, we got back in the car and headed back to the inn.

We found Jay and Tom now in the sitting room, around the little table in the corner, talking, Tom sipping at a cup of tea, while Jay was having coffee. There was part of an apple pie on the sideboard, a few pieces were gone, and evidence that our men had been indulging. Tom saw me looking at their dirty plates and forks.

“It’s really good, Bethy,” he said, trying to look innocent. "You and Clarice should have some.”

Clarice helped herself to a cup of coffee, then cut us each a slice of pie and brought it to the table. I murmured my thanks.

“I’ll make you a cup of tea,” Tom said, rising from the table and going over to the sideboard.

“Did you both decide how to play your scenes with your ‘wives’?” I asked, smirking at them both, once we were all seated around the table.

“Yeah, I think so,” Jay said, glancing at me briefly before focusing on Clarice. “You know it’s intended to be very heated,” he said apologetically to her. “Not graphic, but quite heated.”

“I know,” she said, resignedly. “I’ve seen worse, but I do appreciate you warning me.”

“Me, too,” I said, looking expectantly at Tom. “What am I going to have to endure?”

“A couple of fairly heavy make out sessions,” Tom said, frowning slightly. “Of course, I want it to be believable. Like Jay and Kate, it isn’t intended to be graphic, but it is meant to be erotic, and it’s supposed to convey the depth of the love that Danny still feels for Heather.”

“Of course,” I murmured. I can’t say I was exactly looking forward to it, but I knew that it was part of Tom’s job. I sighed, and my eyes met Clarice’s; she and I would get through this somehow.

“We should get to bed,” Tom said, looking at his watch.

“I want to finish my tea,” I said, eating my last bite of pie. “You go on up. I’ll just be a few more minutes.”

“All right, if you’re sure,” he said reluctantly, rising to his feet, looking down at me with a slight frown on his face.

“I’ll be right up, Tom,” I said, smiling at him.

“OK,” he said, heading out of the room. When he got to the door, he looked back at me, still frowning, looking a little puzzled.

Jay and Clarice both got up as well. “Well, goodnight,” Jay said, stopping to hug me before leaving.

“The movie was fun,” Clarice said, also hugging me. “Don’t stay down here too long, Bethany — Tom needs you.”

“I know,” I said, forcing a smile. "’Night, Clarice.”

I wasn’t sure what had me feeling uneasy, but suddenly I had a strong premonition that something was about to go wrong. I finished my tea, and did my best to shake it off before following the others up the stairs.

When I got to our room, I found Tom already asleep. Quietly, I prepared for bed, slipping in beside him, spooning him from behind, nestling into his warmth. I pressed a gentle kiss to his bare shoulder, and he murmured in his sleep, cuddling back against me. Willing myself to relax, I drifted and eventually fell into a restless sleep.


	42. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom’s POV — as always, waaaay longer than Bethany’s, ehehehe… Enjoy this latest installment. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 42, Tom

The rest of our weekend was spent revisiting my old haunts. We picked up Nathan’s list, and it reminded me of some things I had totally forgotten. We’d have to make sure to thank him next time we saw him. A few things had changed, but all in all, it was a very rewarding day.

We wanted an early night, though, so we returned to the inn in time for the dinner that was being provided at the inn, something which was a huge convenience. Filming would take back up in the morning, so we had planned an early night. I still didn’t think that I was up for a run, even though I really missed it, but I was planning on getting up half an hour early or so to do some yoga. Bethany was so supportive and encouraging, but I know she would have worried herself sick if I’d tried to go on a run, and being honest with myself, I knew it still wasn’t a good idea. So, half an hour of yoga, shower, dress, and we were ready to go. We didn’t even have to drive, because the inn was providing a small shuttle to transport us.

I’m not sure how Danny and Davy had managed it, but maybe just the idea of a movie with such prominent stars, set on location at the university, had prompted whatever powers that be to allow us access to some of the remote school buildings for filming. I guess they were shortly to undergo remodeling, but whatever, we had a mini-film lot all to ourselves, complete with a permanent place for Bethany and Clarice to set up shop, although we would still be using the trailers as well, for dressing especially. Monday morning, after a good night’s sleep, and my yoga session, Bethany and I caught the shuttle. We arrived at the set before Jay and Clarice, and made our way to our trailer. Bethany had me just about ready before Jay even arrived, and by now, she knew pretty much how to present us, so preparation was pretty quick.

And today it would begin: the real meat of the story. All four major characters, alone, and together, in all possible combinations. Was I looking forward to it? Yes and no. Interacting with Jay was a joy—I had absolutely no qualms about it whatsoever, even if it was his character cheating on mine with my character’s girlfriend, who was being played by Kate. And, I was also looking forward to my scenes with her. She is a consummate professional, and a joy to work with. Jennifer, however, was an unknown. I wasn’t sure what to expect from her, as we’d never worked together before. She’s talented, though, and so, I only expected professionalism from her, even though I knew she’d been overheard telling Kate how attractive she found me, which, of course, is flattering, and maybe would have meant more to me, had I not been with Bethany now.

The big news buzzing around the set that morning was that Heather and Evelyn, Danny’s and Davy’s wives, would be coming to visit us on set. I admit to being intrigued by these ladies who had inspired Danny and Davy to write the story our current project was based on. It actually wasn’t until Friday that they joined us, and both women are a delight. Danny’s wife – the wife of the character I was playing – flirted with me playfully, and it was helpful just to spend some time with her. It really guided me to solidify how I wanted to approach my scenes with Jennifer.

Of course, having Bethany watching Heather flirting so strongly with me was a little uncomfortable, but Bethany was actually more amused than anything else. I know I was blushing, and I couldn’t help meeting Bethany’s eyes, but she just smirked and shrugged, trying not to laugh. After a while, I kind of hoped she’d come to my rescue, but Bethany is not the jealous type; she really was amused, and I know she was enjoying my discomfort, the brat.

Of course, it was also a revelation seeing the way Danny, Heather, Davy, and Evelyn interacted. It was a guide to how to play the relationships going forward, as well. Of course, I’d known Danny fairly well when we were at uni together, even though he was around ten years older (he’d been what they called an alternative student back then), and I’d met Davy a few times as well, but I didn’t remember ever meeting Heather or Evelyn before, although I suppose it’s possible that I did.

It had now been just over two weeks since my accident, and the cuts and bruises were almost totally healed. I was feeling pretty good, and so, I planned to start running on Monday. I had been gradually increasing my yoga time in the mornings, and I felt ready. Once again, Bethany was encouraging, although, of course, she cautioned me to go slow and start easy, which of course, was good advice. I was excited to get back to it, but I knew it was most likely going to wear me out.

Late Friday, I got a text from Luke. It seemed that the weekend before, the day that Jay proposed to Clarice, and we’d all been walking along the river in the Backs, that paparazzi had spotted the four of us. The first article was more about Jay and Clarice getting engaged than it was about Bethany and me, although, when Bethany and I looked it up online, I was glad to see a rather sweet photo of the two of us hugging. If you’ll remember, I had wanted us to be photographed together. I hoped that Luke would announce our engagement soon. So far, my fans had been supportive of our relationship, and I hoped that this article would help them embrace her as my future wife. It did surprise me that we were still able to keep the movie secret, a fact that I know had us all feeling grateful.

The next Monday came. It had been two and a half weeks since my accident. I woke up before the sun, feeling amazing. I think I was successful in not waking Bethany, so I dressed for my run, and, not able to prevent myself, I kissed Bethany gently before I headed out. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go very far, so I paced myself, going slow, turning around after only twenty minutes or so, knowing it would take at least that long to return to the inn. When I got back, Bethany was still asleep. I showered quickly and pulled on boxers, slipping back into bed with Bethany. She immediately nestled against me, and my heart skipped a beat as I held her against me. When the alarm went off twenty minutes later, we both groaned, but Bethany got up and went to shower.

“The angsty scenes are today,” I said, as I dressed and Bethany dried her hair. “At least the one between me and Jennifer.”

“Is today when you find out that Kate is cheating on you with Jay?” she asked, laughing a little.

“Yes, that’s right,” I said, smiling at her. I knew she wasn’t exactly looking forward to watching it, but she’s so supportive, I knew she was somehow anticipating it nevertheless. "Jennifer and I will console each other.”

Over the last week, I’d been struggling to come to grips with my ambivalent feelings towards Jennifer. She persisted in — well, coming on to me – even though I had told her repeatedly that I was not a free agent. At first, I tried to gently discourage her, but as she became more aggressive, I had to get more and more blunt with her. I am so much older than she is, and while her naivety and youth are refreshing and charming, I found that her immaturity was wearing after a while. Poor Bethany thought my discomfort might have something to do with the fact that she, Bethany, was always on set watching, but honestly, her presence had nothing to do with it.

But, all in all, I think the scene was brilliant. When Jennifer and I, playing Danny and Heather, found Davy and Evelyn, played by Jay and Kate, together, I felt myself tearing up. Jennifer burst into tears and threw herself at me, and I caught her and we cried together. I think it was quite powerful and worked well as a scene. Danny called the wrap for the day, obviously elated, and I instantly put Jennifer from me and looked to Bethany, gratified to see her smiling at me with tears running down her face.

Emotionally drained, I wanted to go to Bethany, but Jennifer pulled me aside. “I would really like us to meet tonight after dinner, to hash out how to handle the love scene tomorrow, if you don’t mind,” she said in her, admittedly, sexy voice, keeping her hand on my arm.

I looked down at her hand, and after a moment, she got the hint and withdrew it, and I said, “Yes, we can do that. We could meet in the sitting room at the inn.”

“OK,” she said, raising her hand toward me, but, at my pointed look, she dropped it again. “I’ll see you then.”

Finally, I was able to go to Bethany, and I picked up her bag, like usual. “I want to grab a shower in the trailer,” I said, as we headed that way. “Jennifer wants to meet together in the sitting room of the inn after dinner tonight to discuss the love scene tomorrow.”

“OK,” Bethany said understandingly. “I think Jay and Kate are meeting tonight, too. Clarice said something about it earlier.”

I guess that didn’t surprise me. “I wouldn’t doubt it,” I said. “Their scene is actually quite a bit more passionate than ours.”

I showered in the trailer, then we caught the shuttle back to the inn, and, as usual, we had dinner with Jay and Clarice.

“Jay and Kate are meeting after dinner to discuss their love scene tomorrow,” Clarice said archly. “I’ve read the script; it‘s pretty hot.”

I nodded. “Yes, Jennifer and I are meeting as well,” I said to Jay. “Our scene isn’t as passionate as yours, but we still want to go through it.”

“I think you and I should catch a movie or something, Bethany,” Clarice said. “What do you say?”

“Will your meeting be that long?” Bethany asked me, grinning.

“Probably not,” I said, smiling back at her, “but you should go anyway. I’ll even let you take the Jag.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes huge. “You’d really let me drive the Jag?”

“I really would,” I said, surprised that she was so, well, surprised. I’d let her drive it before, after all. And Jay and Clarice were in a rental.

“Oh, Tom, I love you!” she said, throwing her arms about my neck and giving me a smacking kiss.

“I love you too,” I said to her softly, for her ears only. “And I trust you. That’s why I’m letting you take the Jag.”

“Thanks, Tom," she said, hugging me again.

“We should get ready and go,” Clarice said. “The movie starts in forty-five minutes.”

Clarice and Bethany went upstairs to get their purses. Jay and I stayed chatting at the table, and shortly, Kate and Jennifer came in from wherever they’d had dinner, and both Jay and I stood.

“Are you boys ready?” Kate asked, smiling at the both of us.

“I am,” Jay said, smirking. “Let’s go over here,” he said, moving toward a table in the corner.

“That leaves over by the fire for us,” I said quietly, holding my hand out, indicating a couple of easy chairs in front of a brick fireplace.

“This is nice,” Jennifer said sensuously as she took a seat.

About that time, Clarice and Bethany came back down from fetching their purses. Clarice went over to Jay, and of course, Bethany came to say goodbye to me. I stood up and pulled her into my arms, hugging her to me, kissing her gently, before digging in my pocket and pulling out the keys to the Jag and pressing them into her hand.

“Have a good time, enjoy the movie. I love you," I whispered in her ear, and she silently mouthed it back to me. She turned to meet Clarice and they left for their movie, and I actually envied them. More fun to go to a movie with a friend, than to have this meeting with this young woman who, for whatever reason, was having trouble taking ‘no’ for an answer!

Jennifer looked incredulous, then asked, “Isn’t that your HMC tech?”

“That is Bethany, my fiancée,” I said, making sure that I looked and sounded besotted, since I really wanted Jennifer to get a clue.

“But… but…” Jennifer sputtered a little, “I know that I’ve seen her on set. She’s the HMC tech you share with Jay…”

“Coincidentally,” I said icily. “She’s good at what she does. And we are in love, and we’re getting married.”

“Well, whatever,” Jennifer said, shrugging one shoulder, changing the subject. “Tomorrow. How do you see it playing out?”

“I think we should just go with what feels natural,” I said. I looked her in the eye. “I’ll be honest, I’m in love with Bethany. My approach to this whole thing will be to imagine that it’s her that I’m holding and kissing. It’s absolutely the only way I’ll be able to make it believable. Nobody out there is going to know that she’s what I’ll be thinking about, and I know it may sound conceited, but I’m an excellent actor; the scene will be brilliant. I just want you to understand where I’ll be coming from.”

Jennifer’s frown grew ever larger as I spoke, but finally she seemed to shake it off, and smiled her charming smile, flashing me with that one cute dimple. There’s no question that she is an extremely attractive young woman. And now I was feeling more comfortable; now that I had so precisely spelled out our situation, I was sure that she would back off and stop coming on to me.

“We’ll need to have tongue kisses,” she said quietly, not meeting my eyes.

Well, yes, we would, and at least she seemed a little shy to say it so baldly. I nodded. “Yes,” I said, “again, I’ll be thinking of Bethany. It should be enough.” I found myself smirking. "Do you have someone to think of?”

“I’ll manage,” she said. “Don’t worry about me!” She stood up to leave. "See you tomorrow, Tom.” She walked slowly towards the door, her hips rolling. Looking to the heavens, I shook my head. Apparently, this girl was not going to give up, and I couldn’t help worrying about tomorrow.

Jay and Kate were not quite done, so I stayed where I was until Kate rose, kissing Jay on the cheek, before turning, giving me a little wave, and walking out the door.

I got up and walked over to the table where Jay still sat, dropping into the chair that Kate had just vacated. “Got it all worked out?” I asked.

“Yup,” Jay said briefly, looking uncomfortable. “I told her I’d need to think of Clarice to get through it, and she pulled up a photo of her husband to show me. So, I think we’ll be OK.”

“Lucky you,” I said, chuckling ruefully. “Nothing I say to Jennifer seems to get through to her. She persists in seeing me as fair game.”

“Man, that’s rough,” Jay said sympathetically. “Well, I wish you luck with it tomorrow.”

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, when a pleasant woman, young Nathan’s mother, I believe, brought in an apple pie and placed it on the sideboard. "Have a piece of fresh apple pie,” she said, smiling. “Get it while it’s still warm.”

I didn’t needed to be told twice! I love sweets! Both Jay and I got up and helped ourselves to a slice, and I made a cup of tea, while Jay poured himself a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker that was constantly going.

And that’s where we still were when Bethany and Clarice returned from their movie: sitting around the little table in the corner, talking, me with my tea, and Jay with his coffee, our dirty plates and forks still on the table before us.

“It’s really good, Bethy,” I said earnestly. "You and Clarice should have some.”

Clarice helped herself to a cup of coffee, then cut them both a slice of pie and brought it to the table, and Bethany thanked her.

“I’ll make you a cup of tea,” I told her, getting up to go do it.

“Did you both decide how to play your scenes with your ‘wives’?” Bethany asked, smirking at both Jay and I, once we were all seated around the table once again.

“Yeah, I think so,” Jay said, glancing at Bethany first before focusing on Clarice. “You know it’s intended to be very heated,” he said apologetically to her. “Not graphic, but quite heated.”

“I know,” she said, resignedly. “I’ve seen worse, but I do appreciate you warning me.”

“Me, too,” Bethany said, looking questioningly at me. “What am I going to have to endure?”

“A couple of fairly heavy make out sessions,” I said, not able to suppress my frown. “Of course, I want it to be believable. Like Jay and Kate, it isn’t intended to be graphic, but it is meant to be erotic, and it’s supposed to convey the depth of the love that Danny still feels for Heather.”

“Of course,” Bethany said reasonably. She sighed, and I felt so grateful to her. She was doing her best to make sure that I knew she was OK with this. Her calm manner comforted and reassured me.

“We should get to bed,” I said, looking at my watch, wanting nothing more than to hold her in my arms while we slept; her nearness is always so soothing. Well, when it’s not arousing…

But, “I want to finish my tea,” she said now, surprising me. “You go on up. I’ll just be a few more minutes.”

“All right, if you’re sure,” I said reluctantly, rising to my feet, looking down at her with a slight frown on my face, I know, wondering if something was wrong. I really needed to hold her tonight, but I was exhausted, and if I was going to get up early for a run the next day, I needed to go to bed right then.

“I’ll be right up, Tom,” she said encouragingly, giving me a distracted-looking smile, and I wondered if she was more bothered by the whole Jennifer thing than she was letting on. Well, I was, too, but nothing either one of us could do about it.

“OK,” I said, heading out of the room, looking back at her, still frowning, and I’m sure with my puzzlement showing on my face.

As tired as I was, I pretty much dropped off as soon as my head touched the pillow. I really tried to stay awake, but I had gotten up early, and with the emotional upheaval of the day combining with that to take their toll, I lost the battle. I was vaguely aware of her slipping into bed behind me, cuddling up against my back, one arm strong around me. I think she kissed my shoulder, and I’m pretty sure I nestled back against her, and certainly, when I woke in the morning, she was cradled in my arms, where she belongs.


	43. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’ve left this a bit of a cliffhanger… Not sorry! If you’re still reading this, I love you the most! Enjoy!

Chapter 43, Bethany

I was vaguely aware of Tom getting up for his run the next day. In spite of the unsettled feeling I’d had the night before, once I was in Tom’s arms, I was able to relax, and ultimately had a good night’s sleep. I came fully awake when Tom slipped back into bed with me after his run and shower, and we had fifteen minutes to cuddle before I had to get up to start getting ready for the day. After a nourishing breakfast, provided by the inn, we caught the shuttle over to the location. Jay and Clarice joined us at breakfast, and it was fun cramming all four of us into the golf cart, but we made it work.Once we got to the location, I prepared Jay first, since his scenes would be filmed before Tom’s. Once both my actors were ready, I got my gear ready and headed for the location. Clarice and I were sharing the space, and it gave us a lot of opportunities to talk and get to know each other better. We talked about all sorts of things, including work, of course, and I learned quite a few helpful tips.

Neither one of us was looking forward to the day’s filming. “It’s going to be painful,” Clarice said, frowning. “At least Jay is with Kate. He told me that in order to make it more realistic, both of them will be thinking of their real life partners. In Jay’s case, of course it’s me! And Kate has a husband. She showed Jay his picture last night.”

“I wonder if Tom and Jennifer are doing that, too,” I said quietly. “He didn’t say anything.”

“That man is mad for you, Bethany,” Clarice said positively. “I know he’ll be thinking of you. As for Jennifer, who know what goes on in that girl’s head?”

“You’ve spent a lot of time with her,” I pointed out. “Surely you’ve gotten to know her pretty well?”

“Yes and no,” she replied. “Some things she’s really up front about, and others she keeps more hid. I think she actually went through a pretty bad breakup right before we started filming. She’s kind of hinted at it.”

“Ah, that’s too bad,” I said sympathetically. “She’s awfully young to have gone through something so hard, poor kid. No wonder she likes Tom – he’s such a good guy, he hates seeing people hurting. He always wants to try to help them.”

“Yeah, she definitely has a thing for Tom,” Clarice said. “She doesn’t try to hide it.”

“He’s tried everything he knows to discourage her,” I said. At least that’s what he’d led me to believe. “He seemed pretty concerned about it.”

“Well, both Jay and Tom know how difficult things will be for the both of us today. I heard them talking about it.” Clarice said reassuringly. “So, not to worry. If we do, they’ll feel it. And today, especially, the fewer takes, the better."

“You got that right!” I said.

Jay’s and Kate’s first scene went really well: tender and passionate. I was a little surprised that Jay turned out to be really good at romance. Who knew? But it was sweet, and actually quite beautiful. But I could see how hard it was for Clarice, and I knew that Tom and Jennifer’s scene would be a challenge for me as well. Jay came over for his touchup, and plopped in the chair. He looked exhausted, wrung out, and I gave him a couple of minutes to just defuse before I started fixing his makeup, which was fairly smudged.

“Are you ok?” I asked him.

“That’s tough,” he said quietly, jerking his head. “Not only physically, but the emotions, too. They, our characters, feel so much guilt; it’s devastating.”

“You can use your feelings for Clarice, and Kate’s husband, to help infuse that guilt, isn’t that right?” I asked.

“Pretty much,” he said, sounding a little happier. “It works on so many levels. Just thinking about Clarice helps with the physical, but when I remind myself that it’s not her, then I feel the guilt part. But it’s still hard.”

“Of course,” I said. “It was hard for Clarice to watch. My turn next, I guess. Tom isn’t required to feel guilty too much, I don’t think.”

“No, almost a self-righteousness,” Jay said. “He’ll do great.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” I said wryly. “Well, you’re done. See you at the next cut!”

He looked almost back to normal as he walked back to watch Tom and Jennifer’s scene.

I braced myself. I guess there are people who actually enjoyed watching their love getting with someone else, but I am not one of them. I thought I could handle this morning’s scene; the afternoon one would be so much worse.

“And, action,” Danny said, and Tom and Jennifer started the scene.

“I don’t know. What do you think?” Tom said, tucking a strand of Jennifer’s hair behind her ear. He was standing close to her, but she was turned away from him. “Evelyn told me that she loves Davy. She’s leaving me.”

“If we’re honest with ourselves, Danny,” Jennifer replied, “we’ve been fighting it too. We were just more noble about it. I don’t love Davy any more; I haven’t for some time. Ever since I met you.” She turned to face him, resting her head against his chest. “I didn’t want to hurt Davy, so I tried to convince myself that what I feel for you isn’t real. I almost succeeded, too.”

Tom put his arms around her, cradling her to him. “They’ve set us free,” he said, kissing her brow. “We can be together now.” He cupped her face in one hand, tipping her head back and kissing her, gently at first, then with more passion as she opened her mouth for him. She looped her arms about his neck and rubbed her body against his, and I know him well enough that l could tell he was really aroused. As they continued to kiss, I started to feel a little queasy, and I turned my back on the scene.

“How you holding up?” Clarice asked.

“I’ll be OK,” I said, taking some deep breaths. “It was just getting to me.”

“Boy, do I understand that!” she said. “I wasn’t sure whether to throw up or throw something!”

“I’m feeling angry and jealous,” I said, shaking my head. “I want to go up to Tom and slap him, and pull Jennifer’s hair out.”

“Don’t do that!” she said, laughing. “It would be so hard to fix."

I chuckled too. While we had been talking, Danny had called the cut for lunch, and Tom and Jennifer were heading towards us. With a last shared sympathetic look, Clarice turned to Jennifer while I looked up at Tom.

“Before we get something to eat, can I have a word with you out in the hall?” he asked softly.

“Of course,” I said, giving him a brave smile. He took my hand and led me out the door.

“What is it?” I asked, concerned by the look on his face.

“Just this,” he said, pulling me into his arms and crushing my lips with his. I wrapped my arms around him and allowed him to deepen it for a moment. Finally, he pulled away slightly, burying his face in my hair. “Thanks,” he whispered, nuzzling my neck. “I really needed to do that.”

I put up my hand and caressed his face. “I really need to touch you up,” I murmured. “You’re a mess.”

“You know I’m thinking of you, right?” he said earnestly. “I’m pretending it’s you.”

“Clarice said that you all are—thinking about the one you love, I mean,” I said.

“I’m not sure about Jennifer,” Tom said worriedly. “Just, Bethany… she comes on pretty strong, but it’s you that I love, and don’t you forget it. No matter what it looks like.”

“It’s OK, Tom,” I said reassuringly. “Yes, I know you love me. You’ve been really up front about it. I have no doubts. And Tom, I love you, too. So it’s all good. I know it’s your job to be convincing today.”

“Danny’s pretty pleased with all of us so far,” he said, proudly. “But I couldn’t help being worried about your reaction. I saw you turn away.”

“I won’t lie, Tom,” I said frankly, looking into his eyes, “it’s difficult to watch. It just got to me for a minute.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, giving me the puppy eyes, and of course, my heart melted.

“Stop with the puppy eyes,” I said wryly. “Let’s get some lunch.”

We ate with Jay and Clarice, of course. I looked speculatively at Jay across the table.

“What?” he said defensively.

“You make a really good leading man,” I said teasingly. “I was impressed. I’ve never seen you in that kind of role before. I mean, I saw ‘She’s Out Of My League,’ and you were great in that, but this is more of a straight role, and you’re fabulous.”

“Thank you,” he said, obviously embarrassed. “I never wanted to do this kind of thing, but as a favor to Davy…”

“Well, you’re really good,” I said. “All four of you. The casting is inspired.”

“It’s just lucky they knew us all,” Tom said, chuckling. “No one else would do it for what their paying us, unless it was a favor.”

“Well, it’s almost time to take back up,” Clarice said. “I’ve got actresses to fix.”

“I’ve got men!” I said proudly. Not for the first time, I thought of how grateful I was for Clarice not wanting to work with men. I would never want to wish ill on someone, but I was aware that if Danielle hadn’t broken her arm, I might not be with Tom right now. Who knows where we’d be, if we hadn’t been stuck together for so long in the tiny trailer? Tom would probably say we would have gotten together anyway, but I’m just not so sure of that. “Let’s get you boys ready.”

Jay and Tom followed me, and I got Jay ready, and then he was off to speak briefly with Clarice before taking his places. I took my time with Tom. He didn’t have to be ready yet, and I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.

“I’m kind of dreading this afternoon’s scene,” Tom said, his eyes shut while I applied powder to set his makeup.

“It’ll be OK,” I told him. “If Jay can do it, you can.”

“Jay doesn’t have Jennifer,” he muttered so low, I almost didn’t hear him, but it did make me smile. When I started working on his hair, he opened his eyes. “Better hurry,” he said sympathetically. “I think Clarice needs you.”

I looked over her way, and Tom was right – it looked like she could use a friend. I hurried to finish his hair. “There, you’ll do,” I told him. “I’m going to go talk to Clarice.”

“You’re a good friend, Bethy,” Tom said, smiling gently. “I love you. See you at the cut.”

“OK, Tom,” I said. “I love you, too.”

After exchanging a quick kiss, I hurried over to where Clarice was trying not to watch Jay and Kate sharing a passionate embrace and kisses. “It’s almost over, I think,” I said to her.

She was gritting her teeth. “I know, but, god, it’s horrible!”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know it doesn’t help, but you know, I do know what you’re going through.”

She chuckled at that, and then Danny called the cut, and she sighed in relief. “Man, that was hard,” she said. “And I’m done – no more love scenes for Jay. And I think he and Kate are done for the day.”

“Yes, I think so, too,” I said.

And when Jay and Kate came up to us, they confirmed it. “We’re finished for today,” Kate said, smiling charmingly. “Jay and I, that is. I think we’re both going to stay to watch, though.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Jay said. “Moral support.”

I felt my eyes go wide. “Am I going to need that?” I asked dazedly.

Jay gave me a level look. “Aren’t you?” he asked, one brow raised.

I nodded. “Of course I am,” I murmured.

Tom came over, even though he didn’t need a touchup. He loosely draped one arm around my shoulders. “Have I told you lately how great you are?” he said quietly. Then he looked at Jay and Clarice, who were holding hands, and Kate, who was still standing with us. “That was really well done,” he said to them. “I hope Jennifer and I can do as well.”

“You will,” I assured him. “You’re both so great.”

Danny called for places, and Tom bent down, looking into my eyes. “Remember, I love you, and I’ll be pretending that it’s you I’m with. Don’t forget, no matter what happens.”

“You said that before, and I won’t, Tom,” I said, kissing him quickly. “Now go knock ‘em dead!”

He grinned. “You got it!” he said, turning and joining Jennifer for the scene.

I decided not to watch too intensely. This scene was supposed to be even more intimate than the one from the morning, and as I stood, not watching, of course, I couldn’t help watching. Tom had his eyes closed while he kissed Jennifer, and I could see that he was breathing heavily, and I know that he was fairly aroused, because I recognized the signs. He touched and caressed her in very familiar ways that I recognized, because it’s the way he touches me, and it was almost physically painful. As their embrace grew more heated, I swear I saw Jennifer slip a hand between their bodies and palm his erection through his trousers.

Suddenly, I felt so dizzy, like I was going to throw up, or faint, or both. My vision seemed to slowly go grey, and my focus narrowed, until it seemed like I was watching it all through a long, dark tunnel, which gradually narrowed to a pinprick. The last thing I was aware of was the sound of a female voice yelling, “Bastard!” and what sounded like someone delivering a stinging slap, and then, mercifully, everything went black and silent.


	44. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, you can find out what Tom thinks about it all. For once, his chapter is actually shorter than Bethany’s! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m thinking of doing another Lance/Luke-Jay/Clarice set. What do you think?

Chapter 44, Tom

I woke the following morning, Bethany sleeping deeply, held fast in my arms. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful, I hated to get up, but my body insisted that it would need this run to get through the day’s intense filming. Pulling on my running gear, I slipped quietly out of our room. It was a glorious morning, but I still had to take it easy. My stamina was not up to where it had been prior to my accident, so, in spite of my body’s urgings, I allowed my head to win the argument, and I turned and made my way back to the inn, very much before when I really wanted to.

I quickly showered and slipped back into bed with Bethany, knowing that we didn’t have much longer than fifteen minutes to cuddle before she would need to get up to prep for the day. When we were ready, we had breakfast with Jay and Clarice in the dining room, before all cramming together into the shuttle cart that delivered us to the trailers at set.

Jay went first, as his scenes were first, and then Bethany worked on me. She knew us pretty well by now, what looked best, how to make our hair do what she wanted it to. I knew I didn’t have much time, but I was struggling to say what l wanted to say to her. But before I knew it, she was taking off the cape, murmuring “You look perfect. But then, you always do.”

Awkwardly, I stood there. “Bethany, I…” Nothing. I had nothing. “I’ll see you at the cut,” l said lamely, giving her a hug and a brief kiss before mentally preparing myself for the scene.

I missed a pretty sizeable portion of Jay and Kate’s scene, and I was doing my normal warm up to get ready for my own. I had serious concerns over Jennifer. Clearly, she had a crush on me, and probably, like normal, I had been too nice, and not discouraging enough. Well, it was really too late now to worry about it. I would be on in just a few, short minutes, after the break. I hadn’t done anything to warrant a touchup from Bethany, so I forced myself not to go to her, as not only would it distract her, but it would pull me away from where I was supposed to be, and might delay filming. I had to content myself with a little wave, and a kiss blown in her general direction. When Danny called for places, I was there right away.

“And, action,” Danny said, and Jennifer and I started the scene.

“I don’t know. What do you think?” I said, tucking a strand of Jennifer’s hair behind her ear. I was standing close to her, but she was turned away from me. “Evelyn told me that she loves Davy. She’s leaving me.”

“If we’re honest with ourselves, Danny,” Jennifer replied, “we’ve been fighting it too. We were just more noble about it. I don’t love Davy any more; I haven’t for some time. Ever since I met you.” She turned to face me, resting her head against my chest. “I didn’t want to hurt Davy, so I tried to convince myself that what I feel for you isn’t real. I almost succeeded, too.”

I took her in my arms, cuddling her to me. “They’ve set us free,” I said, kissing her forehead. “We can be together now.” Pretending she was Bethany, I closed my eyes to better visualize it, and cupped her face in one hand, tipping her head back and kissing her, gently at first, then deepening that kiss as she responded to me. She draped her arms about my neck and rubbed her body against me, and my cock reacted, twitching in my trousers as she gently pressed up against it. This was not part of the scripted scene, and I came out of my daze, opening my eyes, only to see Bethany turning away in disgust, and my heart sank.

Shortly thereafter, Danny called the cut for lunch, and as I made my way over to Bethany, my legs a little shaky, I was suddenly overwhelmed by my love for her. Even though I was fantasizing that Jennifer was her, she wasn’t. It is Bethany that I love; Bethany that I need.

“Before we get something to eat, can I have a word with you out in the hall?” I asked her softly.

“Of course,” she said, smiling at me, at least. I took her hand and led her out the door.

“What is it?” she asked, looking worried.

“Just this,” I said, grabbing her and kissing her roughly, needing her to erase the foreign taste of Jennifer out of my mouth. She held me tightly, responding to me eagerly, seeming, like always, to know exactly what I needed. Finally, I pulled away slightly, burying my face in her hair. “Thanks,” I whispered in her ear, nuzzling against her. “I really needed to do that.”

And, as she always does, she petted my face, a gesture that I know means that she wants me. “I really need to touch you up,” she said softly, with little inflection. “You’re a mess.”

Oh, god, she thought I’d been turned on by Jennifer. I’d never actually told her that I was planning on pretending it was her. “You know I’m thinking of you, right?” I said earnestly. “I’m pretending it’s you.”

“Clarice said that you all are—thinking about the one you love, I mean,” she said. Oh, good. That was a relief.

But, “I’m not sure about Jennifer,” I said, distressed. I had to tell her, so she’d know. “Just, Bethany… she comes on pretty strong, but it’s you I love, and don’t you forget it. No matter what it looks like.”

“It’s OK, Tom,” she said soothingly. “Yes, I know you love me. You’ve been really up front about it. I have no doubts. And Tom, I love you, too. So it’s all good. I know it’s your job to be convincing today.”

“Danny’s pretty pleased with all of us so far,” I said, quite pleased about it, in spite of my worries about what Jennifer was playing at. “But I couldn’t help being worried about your reaction. I saw you turn away.”

“I won’t lie, Tom,” she said flatly, looking up at me, “it’s difficult to watch. It just got to me for a minute.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, regretfully, looking at her contritely.

“Stop with the puppy eyes,” she said wryly. I didn’t know I was doing it. “Let’s get some lunch.”

As usual, we sat with Jay and Clarice at lunch. I guess Bethany had been impressed with Jay’s performance. Or maybe she was teasing him, but I’m guessing a little of both. At any rate, she eyed him across the table.

He noticed. “What?” he said defensively.

“You make a really good leading man,” she said, tongue in cheek, but I could tell that she meant it. “I was impressed. I’ve never seen you in that kind of role before. I mean, I saw ‘She’s Out Of My League,’ and you were great in that, but this is more of a straight role, and you’re fabulous.”

“Thank you,” he said, obviously embarrassed. “I never wanted to do this kind of thing, but as a favor to Davy…”

“Well, you’re really good,” she said. “All four of you. The casting is inspired.”

“It’s just lucky they knew us all,” I said, laughing a little. “No one else would do it for what their paying us, unless it was a favor.”

“Well, it’s almost time to take back up,” Clarice said. “I’ve got actresses to fix.”

“I’ve got men!” Bethany said fondly. “Let’s get you boys ready.”

Jay and I went with her, and Jay went first, of course, as once again, his scenes were first. As soon as he was done, he was up, out of the chair, hurrying to speak with Clarice before he had to go and make love to another woman. I have always been willing to do whatever was needed for the craft, but I have to say, these scenes with Jennifer, now that I was actually engaged to Bethany, were the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my career. Harder than memorizing the most difficult Shakespeare. Harder than all the green screen work. Harder than learning to ride a horse, or swordfight, or get body slammed by the Incredible Hulk. Anyway, you get the idea.

And it was my turn. I sat in the chair, my eyes closed while she finished my makeup. “I’m kind of dreading this afternoon’s scene,” I said honestly.

“It’ll be OK,” she said encouragingly. “If Jay can do it, you can.”

“Jay doesn’t have Jennifer,” I said under my breath. The girl was impossible. I opened my eyes when Bethany started working on my hair, and saw Clarice, looking devastated. “Better hurry,” I told her, feeling bad for Clarice. “I think Clarice needs you.”

Bethany glanced over at her, and a sympathetic look came over her face. I love that she’s so compassionate. Bethany began working faster, and when she was satisfied, she stepped back, head tilted to the side.

“There, you’ll do,” she said. “I’m going to go talk to Clarice.”

“You’re a good friend, Bethy,” I said, proud her. “I love you. See you at the cut.”

“OK, Tom,” she said. “I love you, too.”

After exchanging a quick kiss, Bethany hurried over to Clarice, while I went back to my waiting place, watching the scene with an artist’s eye, while thinking about my own scene to come. They were pretty much at the end, and when Danny called the cut, both Jay and Kate went over to where Bethany and Clarice were. I went to join them, just to be near Bethany.

I put my arm loosely around her shoulders, and putting my mouth close to her ear, I said, “Have I told you lately how great you are?” She leaned her head against me, and I dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

I turned to where Jay stood, holding Clarice’s hand, and Kate was standing close by. “That was really well done,” I said to them. “I hope Jennifer and I can do as well.”

“You will,” Bethany said to me. “You’re both so great.”

Danny called for places, and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I needed to make sure Bethany knew it was all for the role.

I bent slightly, so that I was at her level, looking deeply into her eyes. “Remember, I love you, and I’ll be pretending that it’s you I’m with. Don’t forget, no matter what happens.”

“You said that before, and I won’t, Tom,” she said, reaching up to kiss me. “Now go knock ‘em dead!”

I grinned. “You got it!” I said, turning and joining Jennifer for the scene.

This scene was supposed to be even more intimate than the one from the morning, and I knew that anyone watching would think that I really had it bad for Jennifer. They couldn’t know that I was picturing Bethany in my mind: the feel of her, the scent of her, the taste of her. My eyes closed while I kissed Jennifer, breathing heavily, and my cock hard and throbbing in my trousers. I held my body away from hers, because deep down, I was aware that it was subtly wrong; this wasn’t really my Bethany. But the scene wasn’t over, and I continued to caress her, my fingers threaded in her hair, nuzzling her neck and behind her ear. As I grew more aroused, she slipped a hand between our bodies and stroked my cock through my trousers. Bucking against her hand, I moaned out, “Bethany… oh, I love you, Bethany…”

Suddenly, my face was rocked back by a stinging slap, and a female voice yelled, “Bastard!”

Standing there in shock, I blinked, as if waking up from a beautiful dream. Shit. The movie. I was filming, kissing Jennifer, not Bethany. What was she doing, touching me that way, anyway? She had no right, dammit. I had told her and told her I was not available. I was engaged. I was in love with Bethany.

Bethany… what must she think? I looked over to where she’d been standing earlier, to see a crowd gathered around and no Bethany. My heart clenched when I saw her laid flat out on the floor. Rushing to her side, I asked Jay, “What happened?” Kneeling down, I took her hand in mine, kissing her knuckles.

“I guess it was just too much for her,” Jay said. “She’s fainted.”


	45. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have to resolve things before I can do Luke/Lance and Jay/Clarice, but in the meantime, enjoy the little anticipation… Thanks for reading!

Chapter 45, Bethany

I’m still not quite sure what happened. Apparently, Jay saw me going down and caught me before I could fall, sparing me greater injury, I suspect. As it was, I wasn’t hurt, and I wasn’t out for very long. I came to, everyone gathered around me, Tom kneeling beside me holding my hand.

“Bethy, are you OK?” he asked me anxiously. “Darling, what happened?”

“I’m fine, Tom,” I told him hazily. “I just got dizzy for a moment. Help me up.”

“We should take you to the hospital,” Tom said flatly.

“Don’t be silly, Tom,” I said, embarrassed. “I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

“I don’t like it,” I heard him mutter, but he helped me up. I wasn’t surprising to find that filming was done for the day, and Tom helped me gather my gear together, then we met up with Jay and Clarice to ride back to the inn.

“How’s your face?” Jay asked Tom, grinning. Tom just scowled.

“What’s he talking about?” I asked. I vaguely remembered hearing what sounded like a slap, just before I lost consciousness. I took a closer look at Tom’s face. One side was red. “What happened, Tom?”

He was still frowning as he said, “I got a little carried away with the scene, I admit, but when Jennifer touched me inappropriately, I, uh… well… I called her Bethany, and she called me ‘Bastard,’ and hauled off and wacked me a good one. I’m not sorry, though. She shouldn’t have touched me that way, and I intend to speak to her about it tonight. At least our love scenes are over. I don’t think I could have handled another one.”

“That’s tough,” Jay said. “Well, hopefully, after this, she’ll get the idea.”

“I certainly hope so,” Tom sighed. “I feel like I’ve been really upfront about it, so I’m kind of at a loss as to why she won’t give it up.”

“She’s young,” Clarice offered.

“And she just can’t believe that someone like you could really be with someone like me,” I said glumly.

“Why ever not?” Tom asked, genuinely puzzled, and I chuckled.

“That’s one reason why I love you, Tom,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You really don’t see why not.”

When we got to the inn, Tom and Jay went to take showers, and Clarice and I sat talking in the sitting room. Kate came to ask me how I was, and while we were chatting, Jennifer came in. She looked at me a moment, seeming to hesitate, before coming over and sitting in a chair next to me.

“I want to apologize,” she said quietly. “I’m just not sure why I was acting like such a jerk. Tom kept telling me that you two are together, but I just didn’t want to believe it. I went through a pretty awful break-up right before we started filming, and Tom is just so nice, and so good looking, and I just wanted to get with him. But I get it now. You guys are so cute together, and anyone who sees him with you can tell how crazy you both are about each other. Please don’t hold it against me, OK? I’m not always so awful.”

She looked and sounded so sincere, and seemed so kind of miserable, that on impulse I reached out and took her hand. “Hey, it’s all right,” I said gently. “I understand, really I do. Tom’s almost irresistible. I tried myself and failed, abysmally so, so I really do get it.”

She grinned and squeezed my hand. “Thank you for understanding. Trust me, I finally get it, and it won’t happen again. I will tell you that you are one lucky lady, though. He loves you a lot!”

I felt myself blush at her words. “You’re right,” I said. “I am an extremely lucky girl!”

“Thanks, Bethany,” she said, standing up. “Well, I’ll see you on set.”

“Yes, you will!” I said, returning her grin, and she walked out.

Clarice and I watched her leave. “That was fairly classy,” Clarice said, sounding mildly impressed.

“Yes, it was,” I said thoughtfully. “I’ll have to tell Tom.”

Just then, Jay came in the room, and joined us.

“I want to thank you for catching me,” I said.

Jay was blushing when he said, “Hey, no problem. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, really. I honestly don’t know why that happened. But I’d like to forget about it; it’s embarrassing.” And it was. So, to change the subject, “Did you see Tom?” I asked him.

“He’s out in the hall talking to Jennifer,” Jay answered, smirking. “I hope he’s not too hard on her. He looked like a volcano about to erupt, and she looked terrified.” 

“She apologized to me just now,” I said, still surprised by it. “She seemed genuinely contrite.”

“Well, here comes Tom,” Jay said, watching him as he came towards us.

“Did she apologize to you?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” he said, sounding amazed. “After everything, she apologized for it all. She told me she spoke to you as well?”

“Yes,” I said, nodding. “She was really very nice about it.”

“Maybe this crazy nightmare is finally over!” Tom said relievedly.

“Is anybody else hungry?” Jay asked. “Because I’m starved!”

We all laughed, then stood and made our way to the dining room for dinner.

***

The next morning when Tom got up for his run, I woke, too, and then I couldn’t get back to sleep. I laid there in bed for a while, before deciding to get up and relieve myself. When I stood, I was suddenly dizzy again, but this time, instead of passing out, I mostly just felt queasy. I managed to get it under control, guessing I had eaten something the night before that hadn’t agreed with me. By the time Tom returned from his run, I was dozing again, and when he slipped back into bed beside me after his shower, I burrowed against him, loving his warmth and his clean, fresh scent. He kissed me gently.

“Do you think we have time this morning?” he murmured, while nuzzling my neck.

I didn’t pretend to not understand him. “Mmmm,” I responded. “I think we should make time.”

“I like that answer,” he said, pulling me up so that he could take off the tee shirt I’d been sleeping in. He hadn’t bothered with clothing after his shower, and I could feel his erection against my thigh as he laid me back down and started sucking on my nipples. I moaned and combed my fingers through his hair, and after a couple of minutes, he began kissing his way down my chest, across my belly, then stopping when he got to my mound. He pressed a gentle kiss there, before encouraging me to part my legs, and I sucked in a breath when I felt his tongue, so lightly, a feather touch, delving between my folds and all around my entrance. He is so very good at this, and I sighed in bliss, and just laid back and let him pleasure me.

“Do we have time for you more than once?” he murmured, his mouth muffled against me.

“Probably not,” I confessed regretfully.

“Well in that case…” He moved back up in the bed, settling his hips between my thighs. He rubbed his cock up and down my entrance, teasing my clit, until, with a grunt, l grabbed his cock and lined him up, and it was all the encouragement he needed. He trust into me, sinking deep, then he paused for a moment, his face against mine.

His mouth against my ear, he said lowly, “Just give me a minute or two to just feel you, to just enjoy the sensation. You feel so fucking good.”

“So do you,” I told him truly.

But after a while, he began to move, long, slow, thorough thrusts, and I moaned at the feeling of it. Little by little, his movements grew faster, a little less controlled, until finally he was frantically pounding into me, and I was lifting my hips, straining to take him in as deep as I could, clenching my internal muscles around him, both arms and legs wrapped around him. I wanted to never let him go, and I smiled when it seemed he read my mind, and he whispered, “You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“I’m yours, too,” he offered, a little shyly.

“Yes,” I said again. “Yes, you are.”

“Oh, Bethany, I’m coming,” he said, thrusting one last time. Watching his face while he came inside me was so erotic, and it was all I needed to tip me over the edge. As I moaned into my climax, my rhythmic contractions milked a last couple of waves of pleasure out of him, and he groaned and collapsed against me.

When I could move, I ran my fingers through his short curls and caressed his beautiful face. “I have to get up, honey,” I said reluctantly.

“I know,” he said, pouting charmingly. Kissing me one more time, he rolled off me, and sighing, I forced myself to get out of bed. My queasiness was back, but not as bad, and putting it from my mind, I went to grab a quick shower before dressing for the day.

We made it, just. Jay and Clarice were just leaving the dining room when we got there.

“Just in time,” Jay said, smirking, and Clarice winked.

“Grab something quick, and come on,” she said. “We’ll get them to hold the shuttle for you.”

Tom and I grabbed bagels, bananas, and orange juice, then hurried outside, where Jay and Clarice were indeed holding the shuttle for us. As we rode to the location, we couldn’t help talking about Jennifer.

“I think she feels really bad,” I said. “I’m going to go out of my way to be nice to her.”

“She needs a man,” Clarice said frankly. “There’s a really sexy grip on set. I wonder if she’d like to me to introduce him.”

“How do you know a sexy grip?” Jay asked, trying to sound jealous, but just not quite able to pull it off.

“I know people,” Clarice said smugly, and we all laughed.

That day’s filming went really well. All we had left were some incidental scenes, some connecting scenes, and the grand finale, which Danny and Davy wanted to film last. There were some interviews with Heather and Evelyn, which had been recorded when they were on set, and there would be some with Danny and Davy themselves that would also be added. And then our part would be done, and it would be in the hands of the technicians and Danny. I was sad to see it ending, as it really had been the most fun project I’d ever worked on. Of course, a lot of that had to do with Tom, and my time with him was only beginning. If I’d had any doubts at the start of our relationship, and of course, I had, they were all gone now. I loved the man unconditionally, and I had no fears that my feelings weren’t reciprocated. I knew that they were.

At the end of the day, riding in the shuttle tucked close into Tom’s side, I rested my head on his shoulder. I don’t know why, but I was so tired. When we got to the inn, we ate dinner, then played a couple of games of pinochle with Jay and Clarice, then by mutual agreement, we all turned in.

The next day was Friday, and I know I was really looking forward to the weekend. Tom got up early for his run. He’d gradually been increasing how far he went, which meant getting up earlier and earlier, and when he got up this day, I groaned, burying my face in my pillow.

“Sorry, love,” he whispered, kissing me gently before he left our room. As I came more fully awake, I became aware that I didn’t feel very well. By the time I realized I was going to be sick, I had to run to make it to the bathroom on time. I retched until there was nothing left in my stomach, and then I felt a little bit better. Definitely something I ate. I had no sooner gotten back in bed, when Tom came in from his run. He showered quickly, then came back to bed, where we cuddled for the last few minutes before I had to get up.

That day on set was very short. Danny and Davy both felt that the week had been intense enough, and Danny called cut and wrap for the day just before noon. Since lunch was already set up, we all ate, before catching the shuttle back to the inn.

“What should we do with our afternoon and evening?” Tom asked, and we rode in the shuttle back with Jay and Clarice.

“Dinner?” Jay asked.

“A movie?” was my suggestion.

“Dancing,” said Clarice definitely, and of course, Tom jumped all over that.

“Dancing,” he said positively.

“Dancing,” Jay and I said together on a groan, and we all laughed.

When we got to the inn, Nathan was behind the desk. “Miss Bethany,” he said, “there’s a parcel been delivered for you.” He pulled it out from behind the counter and handed it to me. Just then, my phone buzzed; a text message from Lance.

[I forwarded you some post that was delivered here. Let me know when it arrives. Lxo]

[I think I have it now. B:)] was my response.

[Good. How’s it going there? Lxo]

[Perfect! You? B:)]

[Oh, I’m so in love! Tell you all about it when you get back! Lxo]

[You’d better! Talk to you later! B:)]

[Yup. Later, B. Lxo]

While I’d been texting Lance, Tom had been talking to Kate, and not wanting to interrupt or butt in, I caught his eye and motioned that I was going upstairs with my parcel. He nodded to show he understood, then blew me a kiss, and I turned and went up the stairs to our room. Sitting on the bed, I pulled open the parcel, and started going through the post that Lance had forwarded.

Bill, bill, catalog, magazine, advert, bill… oh, a letter from my doctor. I opened up the envelope and pulled out the single sheet and glanced over it, before going cold. I was glad I was sitting down, as I read it again, more thoroughly.

Oh no…


	46. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, enjoy Tom’s POV. I think this is the longest chapter yet. Poor Tom, he is clueless, as he’s mostly always out running and missing all the drama… Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 46, Tom

Everyone stepped back to give me room, and I gently held Bethany’s hand. “What happened?” I asked Jay over my shoulder.

“I’m not sure,” he murmured. “I saw her eyes roll back in her head, and I grabbed her before she could fall.”

I turned to look at him then. “Thank you for that,” I said to him gratefully. When I looked back at Bethany, she was starting to stir. I brushed her hair back from her forehead, and she opened her eyes and gazed up at me.

“Bethy, are you OK?” I asked her worriedly. “Darling, what happened?”

“I’m fine, Tom,” she said, somewhat groggily. “I just got dizzy for a moment. Help me up.”

“We should take you to the hospital,” I told her plainly.

“Don’t be silly, Tom,” she said, sounding embarrassed. “I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

People don’t just faint for no reason. Maybe it was just the stress. I knew she’d been worrying about my scenes with Jennifer, and then I’d gone and forgot my professionalism, and in front of her that way. But I knew that arguing with her about it right now would be entirely counter-productive.

“I don’t like it,” I said under my breath, but I put my arm around her and pulled her into a sitting position anyway. Of course, after the unprofessional behavior of both Jennifer and I, and then Bethany fainting, Danny had called the wrap for the day, so I helped Bethany pack up her gear, and we met up with Jay and Clarice to ride back to the inn.

“How’s your face?” Jay asked me facetiously, grinning. The bastard.

“What’s he talking about?” Bethany asked, puzzled. That answered one question I’d had – she had apparently lost consciousness before Jennifer slapped me silly. “What happened, Tom?”

How to tell her? Confession time, I guess. “I got a little carried away with the scene, I admit, but when Jennifer touched me inappropriately, I, uh… well… I called her Bethany, and she called me ‘Bastard,’ and hauled off and wacked me a good one. I’m not sorry, though. She shouldn’t have touched me that way, and I intend to speak to her about it tonight. At least our love scenes are over. I don’t think I could have handled another one.”

“That’s tough,” Jay said. “Well, hopefully, after this, she’ll get the idea.”

“I certainly hope so,” I said, sighing. I was more than tired of fending her off. I am a grown man, I shouldn’t be having to constantly fight for my virtue like a medieval maiden. “I feel like I’ve been really upfront about it, so I’m kind of at a loss as to why she won’t give it up.”

“She’s young,” Clarice offered.

“And she just can’t believe that someone like you could really be with someone like me,” Bethany said sadly.

“Why ever not?” I asked, wondering what she meant by that. She’s beautiful, talented, and amazing, but then, so am I. Was she saying that she thought Jennifer didn’t think I was good enough for her? Surely she couldn’t mean that!

She chuckled. “That’s one reason why I love you, Tom,” she said, squeezing my hand. “You really don’t see why not.”

I still didn’t understand what she was talking about, but I decided to let it go.

When we got to the inn, Jay and I went upstairs to take showers, while Clarice and Bethany stayed down in the sitting room. When I finished, I dressed quickly, wanting to get back to Bethany. I was still worried about her fainting, and why that had happened. When I was dressed and ready, I headed down the stairs, totally preoccupied with thoughts of her. As I got towards the bottom of the stairs, I was confronted by pretty much the last person I wanted to see just then. Jennifer was coming out of the sitting room, and when she saw me, a determined-looking expression came over her face, and she squared her shoulders and straightened her spine.

Was I really going to have to fight her off yet again? What did I do to deserve this torture? I’m sure I had a thunderous look on my face, and Jennifer cringed away from me a little. She had the grace to look embarrassed, and maybe a little frightened. Smart girl.

“Can I talk to you?” she said bravely.

“We’ve been over this and over this,” I said flatly. “Jennifer, you’re a lovely, talented girl. I’m sure you have a wonderful future with some lucky young man. But it isn’t me. I am too old for you, and I am not free. I am in love with a wonderful woman. We are engaged to be married. I wear her ring.” And I showed it to her. “I am not going to leave her, or cheat on her, or do anything else to betray our relationship or her trust. I don’t know what I can say or do to make that any clearer to you.” I paused, running my hand through my hair. “I do owe you an apology. For the scene. I allowed myself to get carried away, and I behaved totally unprofessionally. But you never should have touched me the way that you did.” And suddenly, I was angry again.

Jennifer hung her head. “Tom, I’m really, really sorry about all of it.” She raised her eyes to meet mine. “Talk about unprofessional behavior, I think I’ve just become the poster child for it. Everything I’ve done since we got here – I’ve just been determined to get with you. You’ve been so nice to me, and you’re so handsome, and, I mean, look at you: you’re Tom Fucking Hiddleston, and I want you. But, I get that you’re with Bethany, and you obviously love each other a lot. You look right together, and it was totally wrong of me to try to get between that.” She stopped and looked at me, and sincerity was all that I saw on her face. “I’m just so sorry, Tom, and I promise, I’m done, and it’s over, and it will never happen again. I was just talking with Bethany, and she’s graciously forgiven me. And I hope you will, too.”

I looked at her, hardly daring to believe that it was finally over. “If Bethany can forgive you, then I guess I can, too,” I said, still feeling a little wary. “But if you ever touch me like that again…” I let the unspoken threat hang in the air, before grinning and reaching out to shake her hand.

She seemed to relax, and grinned back up at me. “Thanks, Tom,” she said. “I’d hug you, but somehow, I don’t think I should push it.”

“Probably not,” I told her, tongue in cheek, taking a step back from her.

“I’ll see you around set,” she said, still grinning, before turning and heading up the stairs. I turned and entered the sitting room, spotting Jay, Clarice, and Bethany, sitting at the table over in the corner. As I approached them, Bethany looked up at me.

“Did she apologize to you?” she asked me.

“Yeah,” I said, reeling a little from it, if truth be told. “After everything, she apologized for it all. She told me she spoke to you as well?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “She was really very nice about it.”

“Maybe this crazy nightmare is finally over!” I said, sighing.

“Is anybody else hungry?” Jay asked. “Because I’m starved!”

Awards to Jay for being the champion tension-reliever and subject changer. We all laughed, then stood and made our way to the dining room for dinner.

I had been getting up for my run every morning, gradually increasing the distance I traveled, which had meant getting up earlier and earlier. I was feeling great, loving my life, and grateful to the Creator for all the blessings I was enjoying: my health, in spite of everything, my family, my friends, my career, and most of all, the joy and love I had found with Bethany. Even though I was glad to get back to my runs, I always made sure to get back in time for us to have a few last minutes to cuddle before Bethany had to get up to get ready. I got back to the inn, showered quickly, and not bothering to get dressed, I slipped back into bed with Bethany, and she burrowed against me. I kissed her softly, feeling myself starting to get hard.

“Do you think we have time this morning?” I murmured, while nuzzling her neck.

“Mmmm,” she responded. “I think we should make time.”

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this woman? “I like that answer,” I said, helping her to sit up so that I could take off her tee shirt. I pressed my erection against her thigh as I laid her back down and started suckling her nipples. She moaned and ran her fingers through my hair the way she likes to do, and I couldn’t wait, I began kissing my way down over her breasts, across her stomach, stopping when I got to the juncture between her thighs. I kissed her sex, before gently parting her legs, and she gasped when I ran my tongue between her folds and all around her entrance. I heard her sigh, and she laid back and let me pleasure her. I loved bringing her to orgasm with my mouth, but I was pretty sure we didn’t have time for her to come twice.

“Do we have time for you more than once?” I asked, my voice muffled because I had my tongue against her clit.

“Probably not,” she moaned. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised, but that set my course of action.

“Well in that case…” I worked my way back up her body, settling myself between her legs. I rubbed my cock up and down her entrance, teasing her, until, she apparently couldn’t take any more, and, with a grunt, she grabbed my cock and lined us up, and with that as encouragement, I thrust into her, sinking deep, and I pressed my face against hers, just reveling in the feeling of being inside her.

Nuzzling my mouth against her ear, I whispered, “Just give me a minute or two to just feel you, to just enjoy the sensation. You feel so fucking good.”

“So do you,” she murmured, sounding so aroused.

I couldn’t hold back; I began to move, long, slow, deep thrusts, and Bethany moaned as I fucked her. I held myself back as long as I could, but I felt myself losing control, my movements becoming faster, a little less controlled, until finally, I was frantically pounding into her, and she was lifting her hips, as much out of control as I was, straining to take me as deep as I could go, clenching her internal muscles around my cock, gripping me, both her arms and legs wrapped tight around me. I felt such a deep connection with her, she is my future, and my heart melted when she smiled as I whispered, “You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”

“Yes,” she whispered, and I waited for her to say more.

When she didn’t, I reminded her gently, whispering, “I’m yours, too.”

“Yes,” she said sweetly, possessively. “Yes, you are.”

It was enough to tip me over. “Oh, Bethany, I’m coming,” I said, thrusting one last time. Bethany was right behind me, and she moaned into her climax, her walls gripping me and coaxing the last couple of waves of pleasure from me, until I groaned and collapsed against her.

As we came down and our breathing steadied, Bethany ran her fingers through my hair and caressed my face, the way I know she loves to do. “I have to get up, honey,” she said reluctantly.

“I know,” I said, pouting because I just couldn’t help it. Kissing her one last time, I let her up, and sighing, she rose and went to take her shower before dressing for the day.

We made it, but just barely. Jay and Clarice were just leaving the dining room when we got there.

“Just in time,” Jay said, smirking, and Clarice winked.

“Grab something quick, and come on,” she said. “We’ll get them to hold the shuttle for you.”

Bethany and I grabbed bagels, bananas, and orange juice, something we could take with us, and then hurried outside, where Jay and Clarice were indeed holding the shuttle for us. As we rode to the location, we couldn’t help talking about Jennifer.

“I think she feels really bad,” Bethany said. “I’m going to go out of my way to be nice to her.”

“She needs a man,” Clarice said frankly. “There’s a really sexy grip on set. I wonder if she’d like to me to introduce him.”

“How do you know a sexy grip?” Jay asked, trying to sound jealous, but just not quite able to pull it off.

“I know people,” Clarice said smugly, and we all laughed.

That day’s filming went really well. We were winding down; most of the major scenes had already been shot. What we had left were connection scenes, a few more incidental scenes, and the big, final scene, that Danny and Davy wanted to shoot last. There would also be some interviews with the actual people: Danny, Davy, and Heather and Evelyn. I knew the girls had filmed theirs when they’d been here visiting, and Danny and Davy could do theirs at any time. Because of the budget restrictions, I was sure they’d wait until we were done with the rest of the filming. I had mixed feelings about the project coming to a conclusion. Being on location with Bethany was kind of like a fairytale, but the whole thing with Jennifer had tainted it somewhat. Having resolved that, I hoped the last week or so would be a wonderful time for all of us. But no matter what happened, I would have my Bethy. Forever. What an incredibly wonderful twist of fate had brought her into my life, and I knew that I would always be grateful.

Jennifer was true to her word, and remained strictly professional the entire day. Actually, I found her a joy to work with, and I let go of some tension I didn’t realize that I’d been carrying, and the rest of the day went by swiftly.

At the conclusion of the day’s filming, we caught the shuttle back to the inn, cramming in with Jay and Clarice, which had become our habit. Bethany rode next to me, of course, cuddling into my side, resting her head on my shoulder. She seemed more tired than usual, and I wondered again about her fainting spell, and whether I should have insisted that she go to see a doctor. When we got to the inn, we ate dinner, then played a couple of games of pinochle with Jay and Clarice, then by mutual agreement, we all turned in early.

The next day was Friday, and I know I was really looking forward to the weekend. I got up early for my run. Of course, I didn’t mean to, but I woke Bethany, and she groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

“Sorry, love,” I whispered, kissing her gently before I left. Waking her was the only downside of my morning runs. Today, I felt free, sprinting down the street away from the inn, finding the stretch where I could do my curb hops, vaulting the convenient wall I’d discovered. When I came back to the inn, I showered quickly, then came back to bed, slipping in with Bethany, where we cuddled together for the last few minutes before she had to get up.

That day on set was very short. Danny and Davy both felt that the week had been intense enough, and Danny called cut and wrap for the day just before noon. Since lunch was already set up, we all ate, before catching the shuttle back to the inn.

“What should we do with our afternoon and evening?” I asked, as we rode in the shuttle back with Jay and Clarice.

“Dinner?” Jay asked.

“A movie?” was Bethany’s suggestion.

“Dancing,” said Clarice definitely. Well, I must say, Jay has excellent taste. Brilliant woman, that.

“Dancing,” I agreed, positively.

“Dancing,” Jay and Bethany said together, groaning, and we all laughed.

When we got to the inn, Nathan was behind the desk. “Miss Bethany,” he said, “there’s a parcel been delivered for you.” He pulled it out from behind the counter and handed it to Bethany. Just then, her phone buzzed with what I recognized as the text message tone.

While she was dealing with whoever it was, Kate came up and we began talking.

“How are things with you and Jennifer?” she asked quietly. “It seemed night-and-day better today.”

“Yes,” I said, keeping my voice low. “She’s not a bad person; she was just allowing her youth and immaturity to color her actions more than she should have.”

When I glanced over at Bethany, she caught my eye, and gestured that she was going to take her parcel up to our room. I nodded to show that I understood, and blew her a kiss, and she turned and went up the stairs. I turned back to Kate.

“So, yeah, Jennifer apologized, and I think from here on out, we should be gold.”

“Well, I’m really glad,” Kate said, smiling gently. “I thought so, but I just wanted to say, I admire the way you’ve handled this from the beginning. You’re a class act, Tom, and so is your Bethany. See you all around.”

“Yes,” I said, then I turned to see where Jay and Clarice had gotten off to. I went into the sitting room, and was surprised to find them in there playing table tennis! The pool table in the center of the room evidently converted, and we’d never known! Well, if you know me at all, you know that I am an ace. Unable to resist, I rushed over to them.

“I challenge the winner!” I cried happily, and took a seat to watch and wait.


	47. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK, here ya go. I hope this satisfies. Tom’s chapter will be really fun to write… I’m so looking forward to it. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 47, Bethany

The letter was dated two days before we had left for Cambridge. The gist of it was, that the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the birth control pills I’d been taking for several years had screwed up, and had issued a recall. Instead of three weeks of medication and one week of placeholder pills, the packs I had been using contained three weeks of placeholder pills and one week of medication, and I was now on my second pack of this recalled medication.

Damn. It would explain the queasiness, the dizzy spells, the fainting. I could almost not dare to think it, but I forced myself to consider the possibility. Could I be… pregnant? Was I carrying Tom’s child? My hand went involuntarily to my stomach, rubbing gently. What would Tom say? Would he want this baby? Whoa. I supposed I should first find out for sure, before panicking. I’d have to drive into town, to the chemists, and pick up a pregnancy test.

Grabbing my purse, I headed down the stairs. Halfway down, I realized I was still clutching the letter, and I folded it and tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans. As I got near the bottom of the stairs, I heard raucous noises coming from the sitting room. Poking my head in, I saw Jay and Tom playing a rousing game of table tennis. Of course, I know that Tom is a real enthusiast, so I wasn’t surprised to see him thoroughly enjoying himself.

Clarice was sitting watching, and I went up to her. “Can you take me into town?” I asked. “I need to pick up a few things.”

Tom heard me, and at the end of the volley (which was a point for him, yay), he paused, and, digging into his pocket, he pulled out his keys. “Here, Bethany, take the Jag,” he said, holding the keys out to me. “Everything all right?” He eyed me, and I forced myself to meet his gaze.

“I just need a few things — girl stuff,” I said. “But it would be great to take the Jag. Clarice, you’ll still go with me?” I was aware that I sounded a little plaintive.

“Of course,” Clarice said brightly. “Let’s go!”

Tom kissed me absently, then went back to his game. The situation was perfect; he was distracted, and Clarice and I left the inn and went and got in the Jag.

“What’s this about?” Clarice asked, evidently not fooled at all. Silently, I pulled the letter out of my pocket and handed it to her. I think she read it through twice, before saying, “Oh Bethany… oh, Bethany…”

“I know. It would explain so much,” I said. “But I want to buy a pregnancy test, and make sure, before I panic.”

“You’re going to tell Tom, aren’t you?” Clarice asked. “Do you have any idea how he might feel about it?”

Suddenly, I remembered the day Tom had asked me to marry him. He’d just awakened from a dream in which he’d seen us married, with four children. “I want what was in my dream, and I know I won’t change my mind…” he’d said. It had so touched him, that he’d been unable to prevent himself from blurting out the proposal, even though he knew I would think it was too soon. He’d kept stumbling, coming back to it, even though he’d thought it would scare me into running. Both of us had been surprised when I’d just said yes. This pregnancy, if that’s what it was, maybe was a little sooner than we would have liked, but I knew that it would be all right. Tom would ultimately be happy for this, if it was true.

“Yes, if I’m pregnant, of course I’ll tell Tom,” I said certainly. “It’s not the way we planned it, but I think he’ll be happy. I hope he’ll be happy…” my voice trailed off. Who was I kidding? How could he be happy about a thing like this? How could I? But, first things first. Maybe I wasn’t even pregnant. Maybe I was panicking needlessly.

But I didn’t believe that, either.

We had reached town, so I drove to the chemists’ I had seen several times as we rode through on the way to the set. Clarice and I went in, and went straight to the proper section. There were several different tests from different companies, all sizes and prices, but I knew that they all worked in the same way, tested the same things, and that they were all equally as accurate. I chose a box at random, looking at the instructions. This one was middle of the road price-wise, and looked to be easy to read: a little plus sign would indicate that I was pregnant. A minus sign, that I wasn’t. As is the norm, it measured a hormone level in the urine. Oh, boy, didn’t that sound like fun? Clarice stood next to me, and I could feel her support. I was grateful to have made such a good friend.

I paid for the thing and we left the shop, and we were pretty silent on the way back to the inn. Arriving, I parked the Jag, and we went back in.

“Are you going to take the test now?” Clarice asked me quietly. I could tell that if it had been her, she would have, and that did gibe with what I was feeling.

“Yes,” I said, nodding. “No sense putting it off. If I am, not knowing is not going to make not be true. Does that make sense?”

“Of course it does,” she said, smiling gently. “Do you want me to come with you?”

That brought tears to my eyes, and I reached out and took her hand. “Please,” I said. “That would be tremendous.”

She squeezed my hand, and still holding on to each other, we went upstairs. Once we got to my and Tom’s room, I let us in with my key, and Clarice sat down on the bed, while I stood, opening the box. I got everything ready, then looked bleakly at Clarice.

“It will be OK, Bethany, no matter what,” she said quietly. “I really don’t think I’ve ever seen a man more in love with a woman than Tom is with you. And I’m counting Jay and me in that. Tom’s going to be there for you in this. I just know he will. Or he’s not the man I think he is.”

“Thanks, Clarice,” I said gratefully. “Thank you for being such a good friend. I don’t know what I’d have done if I didn’t have you today.” Turning, I entered our small bathroom. After I had performed the mechanics of the test, I set the little stick onto a piece of tissue on the counter and washed my hands. I glanced at my watch, noting what time I would need to check the stick. Taking it with me, I went back out into the main room and plopped down on the bed next to Clarice.

“How much longer?” she asked. “I’m sorry; I’m excited for you. I know it’s not what you planned, but, suddenly, I feel that, if I discovered that I might be carrying the man I love’s child… well, I think I’d be hard-pressed not to be totally elated. I’m feeling kinda jealous right now.”

“I’m sure you’re just saying that to make me feel better,” I said wryly. “I’m not sure it’s working, but I appreciate the effort.” Looking at my watch, I gulped. “Fuck,” I said. “It’s time.”

“Do you want me to look for you?” she asked eagerly. Maybe she _was_ a little jealous “No,” I said. “I need to.” Closing my eyes, I felt for the little stick, holding it in front of my face. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes.

And saw the little plus sign.

Pregnant. I was pregnant. I had Tom’s child growing inside of me. I wondered how far along I was. My period was already about a week late; I had put it down to the stress of being on location, but it was possible that I was as much as five or six weeks along. I would need to make an appointment to see my doctor when we returned to London in the next week and a half or so. I wondered if it was a boy or a girl. A little blond, curly-haired, cherub, with blue eyes, like Tom’s, that would look at me with innocent love… Oh… I wondered if Tom would have a preference. I wondered how I’d tell him.

I held the little stick out for Clarice to see. “Oh, honey,” she said, hugging me.

“Let’s go down and see where the boys are,” I said, standing and wrapping the stick in the tissue and putting it in my pocket. “I have to think of how I’m going to tell Tom. I’m going to wait til we’re alone.”

Clarice smiled encouragingly. “Maybe our night on the town dancing will turn into a celebration party.”

I tried to smile, but I suspected I had failed miserably. “Maybe,” I said.

As Clarice and I got to the bottom of the stairs, we could hear the noise still coming out of the sitting room. We walked in, approaching the table tennis table. Things had progressed. Tom and Jay were now playing pairs against Kate and Jennifer, and now, several of the other crew from the film were sitting around cheering them on. I couldn’t help being delighted, just seeing the sheer joy on Tom’s face. He was having such a good time, and Clarice and I found seats together, and joined the faction that were cheering on our men. The crowd was about equally divided, but it soon became apparent that the girls were totally out-matched. Our men absolutely trounced them, and then, with congratulatory hugs all around, Tom came over to where I was sitting. Taking my hands, he pulled me to my feet and into his arms, kissing me gently.

“I missed you,” he murmured in my ear.

“Oh, you did not,” I said quietly back to him. “You were having too much fun to miss me! Not that I blame you!”

He chuckled. “For not knowing me very long, you sure know me pretty well.”

I grinned. “You’re pretty easy, Tom,” I said. “You are a heart-on the-sleeve kind of guy, after all.”

“It’s true,” he said, resting his chin on top of my head. “Want to go take a nap or something, before we need to get ready for tonight?”

“Sure,” I said. It could possibly work out to be the perfect time to tell him.

Tom turned to Jay and Clarice. “Bethany and I are going upstairs to rest before tonight,” he told them. Clarice met my eyes, and I gave her a tiny nod.

“We’re still on for dancing tonight, right?” Tom asked. “Meet down here at seven?”

“Perfect,” said Jay. “See you then.”

“OK?” Tom asked me, and I nodded, and he and I went upstairs to our room. The rest of my post was still sitting on the bed, along with the brown paper that Lance had wrapped it in.

“Oh, is that what your parcel was?” Tom asked. “Post forwarded from home?”

“Yes, Lance sent it to me,” I said.

“Anything interesting?” Tom asked, sounding as if he were asking more to be polite than actually interested.

Oh. Wow, I was going to be able to do this now. He had given me the perfect opening. My hands shaking, I pulled the doctor’s letter out of my pocket and handed it to him.

He looked at me questioningly. “What’s this, then?” he asked.

“Just read it,” I said quietly.

He unfolded it and started to read. His face is so expressive, and again, I’d gotten to know him pretty well, but I can honestly say that at this time, I could not read him at all. I’m pretty sure, that just like Clarice and I, he read it through twice, and my heart sank as he blanched. But then, he looked up at me with an expression that I think can best be described as full of hope and longing.

“Does this mean…?” he whispered.

Wordlessly, I took the little stick out of my pocket, unwrapped it from its tissue, and handed it to him.

He studied it for a moment, then looked back up at me. “Oh, Bethy,” he said.


	48. t

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom’s POV. It was fun to write!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think another cycle (ie, 2) of chapters, and I’ll do Lance/Luke and Jay/Clarice. Personally, I love this story. Thank you to those few of you who are still reading. I love you! You make me so happy!

Chapter 48, Tom

Table tennis! Yes! I was honestly so excited. I’d not played in quite a while, but it’s one of those things, like riding a bike, that you just don’t forget, and I am quite good. When we’d been filming The Avengers, well, let’s just say that Loki maybe didn’t succeed in conquering Midgard, but he is a table tennis champ. And, I love the game so much, I even enjoy being a spectator, so as I sat watching Jay and Clarice play, I could feel all the tensions of the last week melting away. It would be even more therapeutic for me to actually play.

I could see that Jay was the better player, and that he was probably going to win. Clarice was holding her own, and was at least making a match of it, but it looked to me like Jay had more experience, and gradually, he began to pull ahead. He was teasing poor Clarice, heckling her almost, but I could tell that it was done in fun, and Clarice was taking it well. The two of them have a comfortable, easy dynamic; they’re obviously really good friends, as well as lovers, and as a result, they’re fun to be around. They put other people at ease in their presence, and they, and Bethany and I, had really become close. I was glad that I had gotten to know them.

Finally, Jay had Clarice at match point. I cheered her on encouragingly, but, at that point, she was so far behind that it would have taken a miracle, and victorious, Jay raised his hands over his head, still holding the paddle, in triumph.

“All right, fine,” Clarice said. “Let’s see how you do against Tom! I hear he’s an ace!” And she handed me her paddle.

“You can have first serve,” I said magnanimously. “Because Clarice is right.”

As we began our game, our banter back and forth was very male, very testosterone-fueled, and it was so much fun. Clarice was cheering for me, something which I couldn’t help finding amusing, and I know we were making quite a bit of noise. I’m competitive, so I was fairly focused on the game, but Bethany had been gone for quite a while, so I was partially watching for her as well, so when I saw her looking in the door, I was a little distracted, and Jay managed to break my serve. Turning more of my attention back to the game, I was nevertheless aware when Bethany came up to Clarice.

“Can you take me into town?” she asked. “I need to pick up a few things.”

Before Clarice could answer, I managed to score a point, and before serving again, I held the ball. Taking out my keys and holding them towards Bethany, I said, “Here, Bethany, take the Jag.” I wondered if something was wrong, because Bethany seemed tense and nervous, and I was still not sure I shouldn’t have insisted on a doctor after her little fainting spell. “Everything all right?” I asked her, watching her closely.

She looked at me, meeting my eyes. “I just need a few things — girl stuff,” she said. Ah, that would explain a lot. “But it would be great to take the Jag. Clarice, you’ll still go with me?” Her tone made me frown a little. She sounded whiney. Hmmm, if she needed ‘girl-things’… well, I grew up with a mum and two sisters; I’d seen women that I cared for at their worst!

“Of course,” Clarice said brightly. “Let’s go!”

Knowing what her issues were, and knowing she was in good hands with Clarice, I pulled her to me and gave her a somewhat distracted kiss, I suppose, and then, as she and Clarice walked out, Jay and I resumed our game.

Well, again, we weren’t making much of an effort to be quiet, and our game had attracted the attention of other members of the film crew. I was pretty sure I was going to beat Jay, but he certainly did not intend to make it easy for me. He gave me a run for my money, but ultimately, I succeeded in winning the game.

“Best two out of three!” Jay said, and that seemed only fair.

I soon changed my mind about that. It seemed that Jay was only getting started, as he ran the table our second game. I couldn’t remember being beaten so badly so quickly, as I barely managed to score a point. It was over almost as quickly as it had begun.

I laid down my paddle. “What was that?” I asked disgustedly, looking at him with mostly mock anger. “You a ringer, or something?”

He looked back at me, smirking that way he does. “I’m just a little rusty,” he said, his annoying Canadian twang really irritating me. “I’m just getting warmed up now. And do you think, maybe, you might just be a little… overconfident? Just a little, hmmm?”

Clearly he was teasing me, but he was also right, damn him. “All right, fine,” I growled. “I’ll give you that. Won’t happen again. Last game will decide!”

“You guys hurry up and finish!” Jennifer snapped from where she was sitting with Kate. Oh. I looked around, surprised. Quite a few of the crew, as well as Jennifer and Kate, had gathered around and were watching. Several were holding drinks, and someone had made popcorn.

“Wow, when did this happened?” I asked dazedly.

“You two were making so much noise, we had to come see what all the commotion was about,” said a handsome lad who was sitting next to Jennifer. He was the burly type, the kind of fellow who always makes me feel like a stick, and I realized that he was probably the grip that Clarice had mentioned.

“We challenge you two to a doubles match,” Kate said, grinning broadly.

“You’re on!” Jay said, smirking at me over his shoulder. “Just as soon as I put this cocky limey bastard back in his place!”

“Why you…” I picked up my paddle. “You uncouth, new world, brash Canadian arse. Let’s see who’s a cocky bastard!” I picked up the ball, and waited til he was ready.

“Let’s go,” he said smugly.

This time, I was prepared for how good he really is. I let him get a little ahead, because I knew how satisfying it would feel to come from behind, as well as just wanting him to get a taste of his own medicine. As soon as he scored the half-way point, I turned on my ‘A’ game. Little by little, I crept up on him. I felt a dark joy as the confident smirk slipped slowly off his face and was replaced by a look of perplexion.

As I scored the last point and raised my paddle over my head, he leveled a look of reluctant admiration at me. “You played me,” he said accusingly. “I don’t think I believed it could be done, but you just did it.” He grabbed me up in a hug, and I hugged back. He pounded my shoulders heartily, then swung around, so that we were standing side by side, with our arms about each other’s waists, like old mates, which, I guess by this time, we really were.

We were now facing Kate and Jennifer, and he said, “Did I hear something about a doubles challenge?”

“Damn right,” Jennifer said, and as she and Kate rose, I saw that they had both already picked up paddles.

“I hope you have enough to make this interesting,” I said, trying to sound bored.

They did, just, but I think the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Jay is obviously almost as good as I, and humbly, I tell you that I am quite good. By some instinctual, unspoken agreement, Jay and I took it easy on them at first. We were about half-way through, Jay and I were just a point or two ahead, and the crowd had begun to divide and cheer for our two pairs, when I became aware that Bethany and Clarice had returned. They came in, finding seats together, and joined the group that were cheering on Jay and me. The crowd was about equally divided, but with the added encouragement of knowing our women were watching us, Jay and I quit holding back, and from that point, it was a rout. When it was over, there was no mention of a rematch from Kate and Jennifer, so after good-natured celebration hugs (I even loosely hugged Jennifer), I made my way over to Bethany, and taking her hands, I pulled her to her feet and into my arms, kissing her softly.

“I missed you,” I whispered to her.

“Oh, you did not,” she said playfully. “You were having too much fun to miss me! Not that I blame you!”

That made me laugh. “For not knowing me very long, you sure know me pretty well.”

She smiled. “You’re pretty easy, Tom,” she told me. “You are a heart-on the-sleeve kind of guy, after all.”

“It’s true,” I said, resting my chin on top of her head. She looked tired, and I was still worried about her fainting. “Want to go take a nap or something, before we need to get ready for tonight?” Having a lay-down might do her good.

“Sure,” she said, but the ease with which she capitulated instantly made me suspicious. Something was bothering her, but I could tell I was going to have work to get it out of her.

I turned back towards Jay and Clarice. “Bethany and I are going upstairs to rest before tonight,” I said. I caught a look between Bethany and Clarice that I couldn’t quite interpret. Well, I’d worry about it later. “We’re still on for dancing tonight, right? Meet down here at seven?”

“Perfect,” said Jay. “See you then.”

“OK?” I said to Bethany, and she nodded, and we went upstairs to our room. I sat down on the bed, noticing what looked like some post, and a piece of brown paper, stacked on the bed. This must have been Bethany’s parcel.

“Oh, is that what your parcel was?” I asked. “Post forwarded from home?”

“Yes, Lance sent it to me,” she said.

“Anything interesting?” I asked, only mildly curious.

She didn’t say anything, but her hands were shaking, as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to me.

I looked up at her, genuinely curious now. “What’s this, then?” I asked.

“Just read it,” she said quietly.

I hesitated, then unfolded it and began reading it. I got all the way to the end, not quite understanding or believing what I was reading. I went back to the beginning and started over. Wait. If Bethany’s birth control was no good, and we hadn’t used anything else… We’d been active… Bethany had fainted… 

Oh, god, was it possible? Could it be? I wanted it so much.

I looked up at her, afraid to hope.

“Does this mean…?” I whispered.

Silently, she dug into another pocket, taking something out and unwrapping it from some tissue, then handing it to me.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god. A plus sign. This was what I wanted. I had literally dreamed about this. My heart soared on wings of joy. “Oh, Bethy,” I said.


	49. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of smut in this one. Sweet, as always. Yup, it’s how I roll…

Chapter 49, Bethany

As Tom sat there, his eyes huge, his face tender, a slow smile started on his lips, growing broader and broader until it encompassed his whole face, his whole body. In an instant, he was on his knees at my feet, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his face pressed against my abdomen.

“Hello, baby,” he said softy, and I tangled my fingers in his hair.

“Tom…” I said. He pulled away just far enough so that he could look up into my face.

“What?” he asked tenderly, his face so full of wonder.

“Just… I love you. So much. I’m sorry…” I didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t you be sorry,” he said intensely. “You know I want this. I dreamed this. I know you’re not ready, and I’m sorry for that; I would never have done this to you deliberately. But you know I want this. So don’t you say sorry to me!”

He rose to his feet and hugged me to him fiercely, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I can’t believe it,” he whispered, and suddenly, his mouth was on mine, and he was kissing me passionately. He licked along the seam of my lips, and I moaned and opened for him. I met his tongue with mine, and he sucked my tongue gently into his mouth, his hands cupped my face and tipped it just the way he wanted it. I rubbed my body against his, grinding my hip against his growing erection.

“I want you, Tom,” I whispered. “Make love to me.”

“I want you, too,” he said softly. “It’s OK for the baby, isn’t it?”

“This early? It’s not a problem,” I murmured. “Kiss me again.” And so he did, before sliding his lips down my neck and behind my ear. We undressed each other slowly. My body was so sensitive, every nerve seemed alive, wired. Tom guided me to the bed, and I lay on my back, my arms outstretched for him. I was on fire with want. He buried his face between my breasts, licking there, and with one hand I held his head against me as he licked and sucked my nipples, while I stroked his hard cock with my other hand. He bucked against my grip, his breathing shallow.

“I want to cherish you,” he murmured as he moved lower. He nestled his face against my core, pleasuring me with his lips, teeth, and tongue, and all I could do was grab handfuls of his hair and hang on. The feeling was intense, exquisite, and before I was ready, I was coming against his mouth, my hips rocking against him. He didn’t wait for me to come down, but in a smooth, graceful movement, he moved up the bed and entered me swiftly, which sent me instantly into a second orgasm, and I clutched at him, as my walls convulsed around him. He held still while I came around him, and with some small piece of my consciousness I was aware of how much that effort must have cost him.

As soon as my waves of pleasure slowed; he began long, slow thrusts. He had such a look of concentration on his face, and it finally dawned on me that he was trying to make this all about me. He is the world’s most generous lover, but I was determined to give back to him. I brushed my palms over his chest, caressing his male nipples, causing him to gasp. I tightened my inner walls, squeezing him rhythmically, lifting my hips to meet him.

“Bethany,” he said, breathless with the effort of holding back.

“Tom,” I said, licking his neck and nibbling gently. “I want to make you come.”

My words made him groan in arousal, and his rhythm faltered and sped up.

“Let go, Tom,” I whispered. “I want you to.”

He growled, but he couldn’t fight it. Pretty soon he was pounding into me, our bodies making a satisfying slapping sound as we connected. “Damn, Tom, I’m going to come again,” I managed to get out, before my third orgasm hit. It was the most intense yet, and I tightened both my arms and legs around him, hanging on for dear life as I writhed against him. I became aware at some point that he was coming too, his hips bucking wildly against me as he called out my name.

Afterward, we lay together with my face pillowed against his bare chest; he had one arm around me and the other one was playing with my hair. I ran my hand lightly over his chest, my fingers brushing lovingly through the few curls that grow there. I think we both dozed off.

I was awakened by the feeling of Tom’s lips pressing gently against my forehead — soft, loving kisses. As soon as he knew I was awake, he tipped my chin back and kissed my mouth softly. “We need to get up and get ready for our night out,” he whispered. “I want to hold you in my arms and show you off.”

“How can you always know the exact, perfect thing to say?” I asked him. Truly, the man is uncanny.

“It only works for you,” he said earnestly. “It’s one of the things that assures me that we are supposed to be together. Because I do always know just what to say to you, Bethany. The words just pop into my head fully formed. After a rough start, I feel like I just know you so well. You’re like the other half of me. The half I didn’t even know I was missing, until I found you and felt how well we fit together.”

“That’s the way I feel, too,” I confessed. He was right; it had been a rocky start, but now, I couldn’t for the life of me remember why I had fought against it, against him, so hard. “I’m so glad you’re happy about the baby. You’re right, I’m not ready. But we’re not exactly young, and he’s coming anyway, so I guess I’d better get ready.”

“If it’s all right with you, I’m going to want to marry you soon,” he said, almost shyly. “I hope you’ll take my name, and I want our baby to have my name too.”

“Of course, Tom,” I said, cupping his face in my hand. “I’ll be proud to marry you, and take your name.”

“If it’s a girl, can we name her Hannah?” he asked hopefully. “That was her name in my dream. It was so vivid, so real. She was so sweet and serious….”

“Hannah’s a nice name,” I said softly. “If he’s a girl, and you want to call her Hannah, then we can.”

His smile was about the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and if I hadn’t already been so in love with him, I probably would have been after seeing it. “Let’s get ready for our date,” I said, rolling off the bed and heading for the bathroom. “Although, I have no idea what to wear!”

“I can help with that,” I heard him call through the open door. “Will you trust me to pick for you? Even though you’re the costume person. That’s of kind funny, really, isn’t it?”

He was chuckling, and I couldn’t help laughing about it, too. I came out of the bathroom to find him riffling through my dresses in our closet.

“This,” he said positively, holding up a deep green party dress. It was made of a soft, flowing fabric, short, with empire waist and princess seams, and little cap sleeves. It was one of my favorites.

Smiling, I said, “I love this dress! Will you help me with shoes and things as well?”

“Of course!” he said, dropping a kiss on top of my head. “I want you short. And, I want you to able to dance.” He bent and rummaged around on the floor our closet where I was in the habit of tossing my shoes. I wasn’t surprised to find out he liked me short, but I was surprised to hear him actually say it out loud. He enjoys his height; he’s much taller than most people, and while I don’t think he deliberately tries to be intimidating, he does enjoy, well, being taller. He loves his height. And he loves towering over me, and I knew that, somehow. I think it makes him feel more masculine.

“These!” he said finally, pulling out my favorite flats: subtly silver, with rhinestone accents. They were gaudy, but I loved them.

“Excellent!” I said, taking them from him. “OK, let’s get ready.”

We actually had to scramble a little to get ready in time, but we made it downstairs with a couple of minutes to spare. Jay and Clarice were already waiting for us, and Jay gave me a wolf whistle as we walked up to join them. “Hubba-hubba,” he said, raising and lowering his brows a couple of times. “You clean up nice!”

I eyed him wryly. “I could say the same about you,” I said.

“Did you tell him?” Clarice blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth. “Damn, I’m sorry…”

“She told me,” Tom said, quirking his mouth. “So this is a celebration, yeah?”

“Oh, yay!” Clarice said, but stopped when she saw the dismay on my face. She looked so forlorn that I couldn’t help laughing. “It’s OK, Clarice,” I said. “I guess we can tell everybody.”

“We don’t need to tell anybody,” Tom said firmly. “Clearly, Clarice already knows, and unless she’s already told Jay…?” he paused and looked at her questioningly, and she shook her head, “Well, then, I say we tell, Jay, too. And then, we don’t have to tell anyone else, unless you want to.”

“Tell me what?” Jay asked, looking curious and confused.

Tom looked at me, his brows raised, practically vibrating with excitement. “You go ahead,” I said quietly. “I told Clarice; it’s only fair that you should get to tell Jay. I can see how much you want to.”

He gazed at me lovingly. “You see right through me, don’t you?” he asked.

“What? That if it was up to you, you’d tell everyone?” I said, trying to frown, but just not able to pull it off. “Including strangers on the street?”

“I’m just so unbelievably excited,” he said. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the little stick with the plus sign, showing it to Jay. “We’re going to have a baby!” he said proudly.

Jay’s face actually went all soft. Clarice and I shared a look; she actually appeared a little horrified. ‘Not Jay, too,’ I thought to myself. It seemed he was goofy over the idea of a baby, too. What is it about babies that make men go all gooey? Whatever it is, it’s sure cute.

“Hey, Bethany, congrats.” He bent down to hug me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I know how much you want this,” he said to Tom. “Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks, Jay,” Tom and I said together, and that cracked us all up.

“Let’s go dancing!” Tom said. “Of course, we can all go in the Jag.”

“The Jag, yay!” Jay said, and we all laughed again as we left the inn and headed for the car.


	50. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, as my dear friend Connie has pointed out, Tom in this story is a giant sap… That’s because I wrote it, and I, dear folks, am the world’s biggest sap! Seriously, a giant romantic! I once tried to write heartbreak (in the story Like That Could Ever Happen). Couldn’t make myself do it. I tried to write Loki cheating on his significant other (and there are two of them, because this was Unholy Three #8!), but I just couldn’t write it! It wouldn’t leave my pen! So, I have to settle for dropping buildings on Tom, and for him being tooth-decay sweet!
> 
> Next, Luke/Lance, and Jay/Clarice…
> 
> Thanks so much for reading.

Chapter 50, Tom

‘A dream come true,’ I thought to myself. ‘This is, literally, a dream come true.’ I felt the goofy grin creeping across my face. I knew what it looked like (yes, I’ve seen photos), how silly it looked, but I was powerless to stop it. What I felt was – pure elation. I didn’t even hesitate; I dropped to my knees, worshiping at her feet, wrapping my arms around her and pressing my face against her, against… my child. My child, growing inside of her… Oh god…

“Hello, baby,” I said softly, and Bethany caressed my hair.

“Tom…” she said hesitantly. I tipped my head back and gazed up at her in awe.

“What?” I asked her gently.

“Just… I love you. So much. I’m sorry…” she said.

No. Oh, how could she be sorry? For what? For making me the happiest man alive?

“Don’t you be sorry,” I told her fiercely, between my teeth. “You know I want this. I dreamed this. I know you’re not ready, and I’m sorry for that; I would never have done this to you deliberately. But you know I want this. So don’t you say sorry to me!”

Rapidly, I stood up, grabbing her and holding her tight, and my heart stuttered when she hugged me back. I cradled her to me, in awe at the miracle before me.

“I can’t believe it,” I found myself whispering. I kissed her, suddenly overwhelmed, and she opened her mouth and met my tongue with hers. I encouraged her to kiss me back, and when she followed my tongue back into my mouth, I cupped her face in my hands, tipping her head so that I could deepen our kiss. She nestled her body against me, pressing her hip into my hardening cock.

“I want you, Tom,” she whispered. “Make love to me.”

Obviously, I wanted her, too, but now everything had changed. I was concerned for the baby. “I want you, too,” I said softly. “It’s OK for the baby, isn’t it?”

“This early? It’s not a problem,” she murmured. “Kiss me again.”

Then I was going to have her. I did kiss her again, then ran my lips across her throat and behind her ear. Her hands picked and tore at my clothes, and I could tell that she was unusually aroused at this stage. I pulled her clothes off and laid her down on the bed, and she reached for me. My heart sang and my cock twitched as I sank down next to her, burying my face in her cleavage. I laved first one nipple, then the other, before sucking one into my mouth. After a while, I switched to the other side, and Bethany petted my hair, holding my face where she wanted me, pumping my cock with her other hand, and I gasped, helpless to stop myself from fucking her fist.

“I want to cherish you,” I whispered, as I kissed my way down her torso, kissing her belly — my baby — softly on my way to her sex. I dipped my tongue between her folds, teasing her opening, avoiding her clit, and she grabbed my hair, moving my face where she wanted me, and her hips bucked against me when I fucked her with my tongue. When I sucked her clit into my mouth, she came against my face, and I gave a little moan of triumph.

Determined to bring her as much pleasure as she had brought me, I worked my way up her body, entering her and sinking deep, in the way that I know she loves. She was so sensitive, and as soon as the tip of my cock bumped against her g-spot, she came again, her walls squeezing me rhythmically, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from coming then and there, because I wasn’t done with her yet. I held still, watching her come apart – the most beautiful sight I know.

When she was done, I started thrusting slowly, teasing and arousing, knowing that slow and controlled makes her crazy with want. I needed to give her more – more pleasure, more assurance of my love, more of me. She began caressing me, her palms flat against my chest. My own nipples are sensitive, and she knows this. I gasped when she brushed over them, tweaking them with her fingertips, and I almost lost it again when she deliberately contracted her pussy around my cock and ground herself against me.

“Bethany,” I protested, panting.

“Tom,” she said provocatively, nibbling at my neck and throat. “I want to make you come.”

Fuck. Her words went straight to my cock, and I groaned as the effort to hold back became that much harder. My rhythm staggered and involuntarily, I sped up.

“Let go, Tom,” she whispered. “I want you to.”

‘No,’ I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t help it. I let out a groan as I lost control, and it wasn’t long before I was pounding into her, the sounds of our bodies connecting arousing me further.

“Damn, Tom, I’m going to come again,” she gasped, just before her third orgasm overwhelmed her. I felt a dark satisfaction, and gave myself permission to finally relinquish my very last shred of control, and as she wrapped both her arms and legs around me, tightening convulsively, bucking against me, her face suffused with such an intense pleasure, I finally did let go, my cum shooting deep inside her, and I called out her name as my cock spasmed inside her. 

As we came down together, I cradled her against me with one arm, her face pressed to my chest, and I ran the fingers of my other hand through her hair. She lovingly stroked my chest so soothingly, and when she stilled, I realized that she had fallen asleep. I held her gently, in awe at the miracle that is her, and our child. Mentally setting an internal alarm, I allowed my eyes to drift closed, and I dozed with her.

My internal clock once again not failing me, I awoke at the time that I’d wanted. We had roughly an hour before we were to meet Jay and Clarice downstairs. Bethany still slept, looking so beautiful and peaceful that I hated to wake her, but at the same time, I was in the mood to celebrate, plus, as always, I couldn’t resist her. Gently, I kissed her brow, and her breathing changed as she awoke. Tipping her head so that I could reach her mouth, I kissed her softly.

“We need to get up and get ready for our night out,” I murmured. “I want to hold you in my arms and show you off.”

“How can you always know the exact, perfect thing to say?” she asked.

I don’t really know. I’d wondered that myself. As soon as words are out of my mouth, or even sometimes right before I say them, I know that they will touch her. The perfect thing to say seems to always pop into my head. But only for her.

“It only works for you,” I told her honestly. “It’s one of the things that assures me that we are supposed to be together. Because I do always know just what to say to you, Bethany. The words just pop into my head fully formed. After a rough start, I feel like I just know you so well. You’re like the other half of me. The half I didn’t even know I was missing, until I found you and felt how well we fit together.”

“That’s the way I feel, too,” she said, sighing contentedly. “I’m so glad you’re happy about the baby. You’re right, I’m not ready. But we’re not exactly young, and he’s coming anyway, so I guess I’d better get ready.” He… Hmmm. I kind of wanted a little girl…

I knew what I thought the next step was, but suddenly, I felt shy about saying it. I said it anyway. “If it’s all right with you, I’m going to want to marry you soon. I hope you’ll take my name, and I want our baby to have my name too.”

“Of course, Tom,” she said, cupping my face in her hand, and I know my smile was goofy and huge again. “I’ll be proud to marry you, and take your name.”

“If it’s a girl, can we name her Hannah?” I asked hopefully. “That was her name in my dream. It was so vivid, so real. She was so sweet and serious….” Oh, that dream. Such a beautiful, serious little girl; so much joy.

“Hannah’s a nice name,” Bethany said softly. “If he’s a girl, and you want to call her Hannah, then we can.” And as impossible as it seemed, I think my smile was probably even bigger.

“Let’s get ready for our date,” she said, jumping up and heading for the bathroom. “Although, I have no idea what to wear!”

“I can help with that,” I said, raising my voice a little so that she could hear me. “Will you trust me to pick for you? Even though you’re the costume person. That’s of kind funny, really, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t help chuckling. She’d been dressing me for weeks, I felt justified in thinking it was my turn. I’ve been told I have excellent taste. She didn’t have a lot of clothes here with her, but I did have a few choices to pick from. I could hear her laughing in the bathroom, and when she came out, I showed her my favorite.

“This,” I said, holding it out to her, a deep green party dress. The line, color, and fabric is a perfect foil for her soft, creamy skin and healthy, shining hair.

She smiled, and said, “I love this dress! Will you help me with shoes and things as well?”

Would I? “Of course!” I said, kissing the top of her head before turning back to the closet. Confession: I seriously love shoes, so this was no hardship. I knew that I wanted her to wear flats tonight, so that I could be that much taller than her. I’ve always been attracted to women of all ages, shapes, colors, and sizes, because, basically, I love women! Confident, strong women are my favorite, I just find them so sexy; but tonight, my masculine ego wanted my petite, short, little Bethany. It was clearly the testosterone talking, and I started speaking before I realized what I was even going to say. “I want you short. And, I want you to be able to dance.” It didn’t take me long to find the perfect pair of shoes.

“These!” I said fishing them out: shiny, silver, flat little shoes with sparkling accents.

“Excellent!” Bethany said, as I handed them to her. “OK, let’s get ready.”

We were almost late, but we did make it in time, although Jay and Clarice were there ahead of us. Jay gave a loud whistle when he saw Bethany. “Hubba-hubba,” he said, giving her a roguish look. “You clean up nice!”

Bethany eyed him back. “I could say the same about you,” she said.

“Did you tell him?” Clarice blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth. “Damn, I’m sorry…”

I had to fight not to laugh. Clearly, Clarice was Bethany’s confidant. It suddenly dawned on me that that was what they had gone into town for. ‘Girl-stuff’ indeed. “She told me,” I said. “So this is a celebration, yeah?”

“Oh, yay!” Clarice said, but stopped when she saw the deer-in-the-headlights look that Bethany suddenly got. Clarice looked so contrite that Bethany relaxed, chuckling.

“It’s OK, Clarice,” she said. “I guess we can tell everybody.”

I could tell that Bethany really wanted to keep it quiet for a while, and I wanted to tell my family first, anyway, plus, we really needed to tell Luke before we took news like this public.

“We don’t need to tell anybody,” I said firmly. “Clearly, Clarice already knows, and unless she’s already told Jay…?” I waited to see what Clarice would say, but she just shook her head no. “Well, then, I say we tell, Jay, too. And then, we don’t have to tell anyone else, unless you want to.”

“Tell me what?” Jay asked, looking curious and confused.

I looked at Bethany, actually bouncing a little, I was so excited. How I longed to tell someone… sharing it with Jay would be perfect. 

“You go ahead,” Bethany said softly, probably reading my mind the way she does. “I told Clarice; it’s only fair that you should get to tell Jay. I can see how much you want to.”

Reading my mind, yeah. “You see right through me, don’t you?” I asked her.

“What? That if it was up to you, you’d tell everyone?” she said, and I think she was trying to be annoyed with me, but I think my joy was contagious. “Including strangers on the street?”

“I’m just so unbelievably excited,” I confessed. I put my hand into my pocket and pulled out the precious little stick with the plus sign, showing it to Jay. “We’re going to have a baby!” I said happily.

Jay looked as awed as I felt. The creation of new life is such a miracle that it never fails to amaze me. And this time, I was directly a part of it.

“Hey, Bethany, congrats,” Jay said. He bent down to hug her, and kissed her cheek. “I know how much you want this,” he said to me. “Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks, Jay,” Bethany and I said at the exact same time, which caused all four of us to laugh.

“Let’s go dancing!” I said. “Of course, we can all go in the Jag.”

“The Jag, yay!” Jay said, and we all laughed again as we left the inn and headed for my car.


	51. Luke/Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is Jay/Clarice, then back to Tom and Bethany. I’ll have to write a recap, ehehehe…
> 
> Anyway, if you’re still reading, thank you! I love you! Enjoy!

Chapter 51, Luke

The next weekend, we went our separate ways.

But it didn’t last. I couldn’t stop thinking about-him. About how handsome he was, how caring, how loving. How different from my ex, Richard. The way he cared for Bethany, watching out for her when her entire family up and moved to a completely different country, leaving her here all alone. Lance couldn’t stand to see that — he had to take care of her. Because he is first and above all, a nurturer. It’s what he does. I don’t think he’s even aware of it, it’s just so much a part of his character. But it’s why he’s such a successful waiter, because he works hard to take care of people.

And after Richard, I was in need of being taken care of.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The truth is, it all moved too fast. I had given Tom and Bethany hell for being too hasty, but Lance and I? Even more so. I resisted as long as I could. I made it to Sunday night. I had met him on Saturday. The next day, I was sitting alone in my flat. Alone. Again. Wondering why. What was wrong with me? I’m a good-looking fellow. I’m intelligent. I have a good job that I enjoy, I get paid well, and I get to meet and mingle with a lot of top-name celebrities. A lot — Tom, of course, being chief among them. But, fuck it, I was lonely! My phone was burning a hole in my pocket. I took it out and tossed it onto the end table, eying it accusingly. “Don’t look at me that way,” I hissed at it. Yes, I actually spoke to the thing out loud, that was how bad it had gotten.

“I’ve just met him,” I muttered to myself. To my phone. I don’t know…. “He’s no one, just some two-bit waiter, actor-wannabe…”

Even I didn’t believe me.

My hand kept reaching, reaching for that phone… But then, I’d catch myself, and draw it back. It was 10:30 pm. What would it hurt a send a little text message? He probably wouldn’t get it until the next morning, anyway. My hands were itching…

I couldn’t stand it. I scooped up the phone and sent him a text. Two words. [I’m lonely. LW]

He answered back immediately. [Give me your address. L]

I punched it in and hit send, before I could change my mind. But then, I didn’t hear back. Oh well, nothing lost, nothing gained.

Then my doorbell rang. My heart pounding, I got up to answer it.

Lance was standing there, a hopeful grin on his face, a sixpack of Guinness in one hand and a paper sack from Morrison’s in the other. “I come bearing Guinness, ice-cream, and Bethany’s favorite movie,” he said, looking down at me shyly.

He towered over me, and I just stood there, blinking up at him, stunned. He looked so good, better than I had remembered.

When I didn’t say anything, his face fell and his shoulders slumped. “I shouldn’t have come,” he said quietly. “Here,” he said, shoving the Morrison’s bag into my hands, then setting the sixpack of Guinness on floor at my feet. “I brought these for you. I’m sorry I can’t leave Bethany’s DVD, but it’s her favorite, and she’d have my head if I lost it …” He stepped back and turned to leave, his posture telegraphing his dejection.

“Wait… Lance,” I said hurriedly. “Come back. Come in.”

He turned and straightened, that hopeful look back on his face. “It’s ‘The Holiday,’” he said brightly. “Bethany made Tom watch it. 2006, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black. It’s funny and sweet…”

“I love that movie!” I said enthusiastically, because I do. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen it. What an excellent choice! And ice cream?”

“Chocolate chip mint,” he said sweetly.

“My favorite. How did you know?” He just shrugged. “I’ll get us some bowls and spoons,” I said, turning and heading for the kitchen.

“I’ll set up the movie,” Lance said. When I got back to the living room, Lance was fiddling with the remotes. I set the bowls and spoons down on the table, just as he got the movie cued. I sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside me.

“Sit with me, Lance,” I said, trying not to sound too pathetic. It felt so nice to have him there. Partly, it was just being with someone – anyone. But a good part of it was being with him. I found him so intriguing, and I definitely wanted to know more about him.

He gave me a shy grin and sat down, not too close, but the man is as big as a house, and I could feel his warmth, even though there was space between us.

“I take it you have seen this movie before?” I asked him.

“More times than I can count,” he confirmed wryly. “It’s Bethany’s go-to flick. She made me watch it after her disastrous first date with Tom.”

I couldn’t help it; that made me laugh. “He still feels so bad about that,” I said. “The poor man was so knocked from kilter by his reaction to her, he didn’t know whether he was coming or going. I’ve never seen him react that way to a girl before.” I paused, watching the movie, before continuing. “So, we’ve both seen this. Is it OK if we talk while we watch it?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “I can practically quote it. But it is a great movie. It always cheers Bethany up.” He turned the sound down a little, then took another bite of ice cream.

“How did you get to know Bethany?” I asked curiously. I knew they were close, but they didn’t seem to have that much in common.

“I’m Bethany’s eldest brother, Ezra’s, best mate,” he said. “Bethany has three brothers and a sister, and Bethany is the youngest. Ez and Malachi bought a ranch out west in America. They are the two oldest. Daniel is an attorney in Chicago, and their sis, Rebekah, is an interpreter at the UN. Their mum and dad live near Ez and Mal’s ranch. Only Bethany is still here in the UK. I promised Ez I’d look out for her. She and I have been roommates ever since.”

Obviously they were close. I really liked him, and I didn’t want to drive him away before we’d had a chance to get to know each other, but I couldn’t help being worried about Tom. I thought he had moved too fast. By all accounts, Bethany had resisted, and I had met her in the hospital, and she seemed like a nice girl. She had appeared to be genuinely devastated by Tom’s accident. And yet…

“Can I be frank with you?” I asked quietly. “I know you’re close to Bethany, and I’m sure that she is a beautiful person, but doesn’t the speed with which she and Tom have gotten together bother you?”

He looked at me calmly, his eyes clear and bright, a slight smile on his (truly lovely) mouth. “I am a firm believer in love at first sight,” he said.

“Really?” I asked disbelievingly. “Well, Tom’s family’ve been very supportive, as well, but then, they were at the hospital, too. They saw Bethany looking terrified, and Tom totally besotted. And they just want him to be happy. And he does seem to be, I’ll grant you that. How are Bethany’s family taking it?”

Lance chuckled a little. “Bethany’s mum and dad are OK with it,” he said, “But you should have heard the hue and cry from all the siblings…”

I sat there, entranced, as he told me all the brothers’, and the one sister’s, reactions. The amusing part was the different voices he used. From his funny comments, I could tell a lot about Bethany’s family. Ezra and Malachi, the ranchers, had evidently retained heavy British accents, as had their mum and dad. Daniel, the Chicagoan attorney, and gone native, and apparently spoke with a very American twang. Rebekah, the New York interpreter, had adopted a dialect that was somewhat an amalgam, and would fit in perfectly in New York, I knew from my time there. Listening to Lance talk, I was captivated.

Suddenly, he noticed the way I was looking at him. “What?” he asked, in his own voice.

“I’m sorry,” I said, smiling at him. “It’s just, your voice impressions of Bethany’s family. I don’t know the people involved, but I’m guessing you’re spot on, aren’t you?”

He was embarrassed, and blushed charmingly, looking down, but he also nodded, and said, “Pretty much.”

“I know you’ve done some acting,” I said. “Have you ever done any voice work?”

“Not really,” he said, and I could see his wheels already turning. “I don’t think I ever thought about it before,” he said, surprised. “Luke, you’re a genius.”

The look he gave me made me feel a little warm, something I’d not felt for several years; certainly not since things started to go really bad with Richard.

“Not really,” I said, and now I was the one feeling shy and embarrassed. “Because you’re really good with accents and voices.”

“I’m too big to get a lot of roles,” he said wistfully. “But voice work. Well, my size wouldn’t matter!”

“Do you have an agent or P.R. person?” I asked

“I used to have an agent, but not anymore,” he said ruefully. “We came to a mutual parting of the ways.”

I rested my hand on his tightly muscled thigh. “I can’t represent you,” I said reluctantly. “It would be a conflict of interest. But I have a colleague who would be perfect. Maybe I can introduce you sometime this week.”

“Oh, Luke, that would be amazing!” he said.

And then he kissed me.

Lance

Hullo. So, Luke started to tell you about how we broke up, but then he got sidetracked by how we got together. We met at Tom’s on Saturday; on Sunday night, I was over at Luke’s. We had already made a date to go out the next weekend, but the truth is, we got along so well that we basically saw each other every day after that Saturday that we met. I wasn’t surprised; remember, I had known for years that we were fated to be together, but Luke just couldn’t accept that. He kept muttering about how Tom and Bethany were moving too fast, all while he and I were moving even faster. But the second time that Tom called and invited us over, the night that he and Bethany told us that they’d gotten engaged, that was really the beginning of the end for us.

Luke started fretting immediately. Tom maybe knows him well, but he was too caught up in the wonder of his engagement to Bethany to notice how upset Luke really was. And well, Luke is a consummate professional, experienced at keeping his personal feelings out his professional relationships, but even though he and I had only known each other a short time, I could tell that he was really, really upset by all this.

When I dropped him off at his place later that night, he gave me a distracted peck on the cheek, and then practically slammed the door in my face. I was hurt, but I knew how agitated he was by Tom and Bethany’s announcement, and I figured that the best thing that I could do to help, would be to remain calm. I was sure it would have a beneficial effect on everyone. I got back in my car and went home.

I was sure that Luke would call me the next day, and he did. Of course, just like before, I went rushing over to his place to comfort him. I squared my shoulders and knocked on his door. This time, he threw it open and grabbed me in a bear hug, which I was more than happy to return.

“Oh, Lance,” he said, his voice muffled because his face was buried against my chest. “I’m so sorry about last night. As soon as I came to my senses, I missed you.” He kissed me then, and I would have forgiven him almost anything.

I stroked his face and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s all right, love,” I said gently. “I understand. Tom and Bethany – so sudden! Just like us!” and I chuckled a little.

He pulled away and glared at me. “Not like us!” he said, beginning to pace. “They are actually planning on getting married! Married! I just don’t know what Tom is thinking! Oh, never mind, clearly he isn’t thinking, or he would just be content to have hot sex, use Bethany for what he can get out of her. But marriage, a commitment, when they’ve only known each other these few days. And I don’t know what Bethany thinks she’s playing at, or what she hopes to gain. A share of Tom’s fame, and his money, maybe…”

Of course, his words disturbed me, but I wasn’t sure what was making me the most angry: his besmirch against Bethany’s character, or his seeming dismissal of what was happening between him and me.

“What about us, then?” I asked him quietly. I struggled to keep the hurt out of my voice, but I needn’t have bothered, because I don’t think he noticed.

“What about us?” he said impatiently, practically snarling. “This isn’t about us, this about your ‘friend’ Bethany trying to put something over on Tom! I don’t know what she’s up to yet, but I’m going to find out, I swear I am! That man is a babe in the woods, a total innocent, where women are concerned, and I’m going to do everything in my power to protect him. And your pretty face and sexy muscles are NOT going to distract me!”

I gasped out loud and wrapped my arms around my middle. I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach. “You called me,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe how betrayed I felt. “I came over here because you asked me to, because you said you missed me. But you’re a bastard of the first order, aren’t you?”

I got all up in his face then, and since I am several inches taller and about twice as heavy as he, I’m sure I was quite intimidating. I certainly meant to be so, anyway. I poked him in the shoulder with my index finger, scowling down at him, moving him backward until he was flat against the wall, and then I gave him a self-satisfied little grin. I’m sure there was nothing reassuring or nice about it.

“Unlike you, Bethany doesn’t have a devious bone in her body,” I said, my manner threatening. “I’ve been protecting her for a long, long time, and if you think I am going to allow you to come between and ruin what she has with Tom, well, then you’re more stupid than it would initially appear.”

I stayed that way for a moment, staring down at him, my body pinning his to the wall. I was sure he could feel my erection through my trousers, I was that pressed up against him. I know that I could feel his, throbbing somewhere south of mine, as again, he is much shorter than I am. With a final grind of my hard cock against his stomach, I turned on my heel, stalked across the room, and exited swiftly, giving his door a rattlingly satisfying slam on my way out.

I managed to hold it together until I got home, then I let myself in, sank down on what I was coming to think of as the Crying Couch, and had myself a right major sob fest.

Tom and Bethany packed up and went to film in Cambridge, and I tried to get on with my life. I was incredibly surprised when I got a phone call. “My name is Jessica Sanders,” she said pleasantly. “Luke Windsor told me that you may be looking for a P.R. person. He said you specialize in voices, and that happens to be my area of expertise. Are you looking for someone?”

While I didn’t want Luke to think I wanted anything from him anymore, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass by. “I might be,” I admitted. “But it would totally depend on whether I could afford you or not.”

“Yes, Luke told me that you were underrepresented, and not working at your potential. I’m willing to help get you off the ground on a sliding-scale basis. When we get you up to speed, you can pay me back. How does that sound?”

“Well, I would be pretty silly and extremely short-sighted to turn down an offer like that,” I said cheerfully.

“Great!” she said. “When can we meet?”

We made an appointment for lunch later on that week, but as soon as we rang off, I debated with myself about the wisdom of doing anything that might smack of being beholden to Luke. I still felt that we were soul mates, but I was so angry and disappointed in his attitude, that I didn’t want to have anything more to do with him, even so much as allowing Jessica Sanders to represent me on his say-so. But truly, the opportunity to further my acting career outweighed my reluctance to sever all connections with Luke, and I put it from my mind, and did my best to forget about the man that I had been so convinced was the love of my life.

The next day, my phone rang. When I saw that it was Luke, I ignored it. I wasn’t ready for more diatribe from him. Bethany and Tom had been seen and photographed together in Cambridge, and even though the story was mostly about that barmy Canadian chap from those hilariously raunchy films, I didn’t want to listen to more of Luke’s rant about it. But it was only a few minutes later when I received a text message. Thinking I would simply delete it without reading it, I was quite surprised when I read what he had to say.

[You were right, and I was an idiot. Please, Lance. LW]

[Yes, you were. I can’t think why you would imagine I would want to hear anything you have to say. L]

[I’m just so sorry. Please, Lance, I miss you so much. LW]

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I put my phone back in my pocket, thinking I would just not respond, and that he would get the hint. But it wasn’t that much longer before my phone buzzed with another text message. I hesitated, torn about whether to read it or not. In the end, curiosity was just too much for me. I dug my phone out to read it.

[Please, Lance. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I think I’m in love with you. LW]


	52. Clarice/Jay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s pretty long… Don’t know what to say about it. Thanks for reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll get back to Tom and Bethany now! Enjoy!

Chapter 52, Clarice/Jay

Clarice

Pathetic confession time: I couldn’t help it – I was really jealous of Bethany. I could tell how very conflicted she was, that she wasn’t really ready to be a mother, and yet she was so in love with Tom, and he was so happy at the thought of becoming a father, that she was willing to embrace it with only a little reluctance. They, Bethany and Tom, had only known each other for such a very short time, and yet, they had already fallen deeply in love, had gotten engaged, and now, they were expecting a baby.

In contrast, Jay and I had been dating for over a year. I knew that there was still a part of him that was in love with Allison, and she had hurt him quite badly when she had broken up with him. He had proposed to me, and it was beautiful, but I knew that part of the reason _why_ he had proposed was because he knew that I wanted him to. I was gratified that he wanted to please me, but, at the same time, I was sad that it wasn’t something that he was desperate to do.

In short, I was sad that Jay… wasn’t Tom.

OK, not that I wanted Jay to actually _be_ Tom – I mean, I am in love with _Jay_ , so much, and it hadn’t taken him much to get me to fall.

The ultra-glamorous Hollywood actress, Anne Bancroft, the same one who famously played Mrs. Robinson, was in real life married to Mel Brooks, a man who was famous in his own right, but not one who was glamorous, not conventionally handsome, and yet, they were happily married for almost 40 years, until she died of cancer. Well, someone once asked her why she, a beautiful, talented sex symbol, would choose to remain with a man like Mel. Her response was simple: “He makes me laugh.”

Just exactly that. Life will never be dull with Jay. He makes me laugh. He’s so much fun. But he’s not romantic, and he’s not mad for me. I think he loves me. No, really, I know that he does. But would he die of heartbreak if I left him? I don’t think so. I am pretty sure that he’s in love with me, but he’s so pragmatic, so practical. And I want him to go a little crazy for me. The way Tom does for Bethany.

I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I want him to need me.

“How do you do it, Bethany?” I asked her. “How do you make Tom so in love with you? I love Jay, and I know he loves me, but I want what you have with Tom. So, how do you do it? How do you make him so desperate? How do you make him need you the way he does?”

“Damn, Clarice,” she said, honestly looking baffled. “I don’t know. I tried so hard for so long to be rational about our relationship. I tried not to love him, but it was _me_ who couldn’t resist _him_. It’s me who needs him, not the other way around.”

“You genuinely don’t see it, do you?” I asked her incredulously. “That man would cut off his right arm if you asked him too.”

“You’re exaggerating,” she said wryly, giving me a look.

“No, I’m not,” l replied, but I decided to give it a rest. She didn’t see it and wouldn’t be able to help.

Later that same afternoon, I ran into Tom. Hmmm. I wondered if he’d even know what I was talking about. And would Bethany kill me if she knew I’d asked him about such things. I decided to ask anyway. If he didn’t know what I meant, well, I didn’t think any harm would be done.

“Tom, can I asked you something?” I said, taking his hand and pulling him down onto the chair next to me. We were in the sitting room, and no one else was around.

“I think you just did,” he said, giving me one of his silly, dorky smirks.

“No, I mean, really,” I said, frowning. Something in my manner or expression must have gotten to him, because he stopped smiling, and his face got all sober and serious. He got that searching look he gets, and he stared at me intently.

OK, so now I’m going to just say that at this point, that my heart skipped a beat and I actually found myself short of breath. Dear god, when this man looks at you, it’s like he’s looking into your soul. I don’t know how Bethany ever makes herself function, knowing that Tom must look at her like that on a regular basis. I’m not sure how she gets out of bed, or how she can ever bear to be apart from him. He must allow it, is the only thing I can think of. As much as I am in love with Jay, if Tom ever tried for me, I’m not sure I would be able to resist him. I’d hate myself in the morning, but, oh, what a night it would be! OK, gratuitous digression over.

So, where was I? Oh yes, Tom looking at me intently, and me trying hard not to hyperventilate. I put a hand in the middle of his chest and gave him a shove.

“Good heavens, Tom, stop it!” I said impatiently.

“What?” he asked, sitting back and blinking at me innocently. Now, he was giving me the puppy eyes for which he is famous.

I rolled my eyes and dragged a hand down my face. “You’re hopeless, aren’t you?” I asked him, eying him in exasperation. I shook my head. “You don’t even realize you’re doing it.”

“What?” he asked again.

“Never mind!” I said, and I couldn’t help smiling at him fondly. “Just, can I ask you something?”

“This is where we came in,” he said, chuckling his little laugh for me. “Yes, Clarice, ask away. Please.”

I bit my lip. Now that we were finally to this point, I didn’t know how to put it into words.

He smiled at me gently. “Come on, Clarice,” he said softly. “What can I do for you? You can tell me.”

“I just, I…” I stammered. “It’s just, Tom, you’re so romantic, and you just need Bethany so much, and she’s so lucky! And Jay loves me, and I know he does, but he doesn’t _need_ me, and I want him to…”

“Oh, Clarice,” he said, reaching out and pulling me to him in a hug. “He does, sweetheart, you know he does. He’s maybe not so good at expressing it…”

I felt tears in my eyes, and I wiped at them angrily. “I don’t think so,” I said shortly.

“I know so,” he said, smirking. He rubbed his index finger across his lips, thinking. He evidently got an idea, because he got a mischievous look on his face. ‘Loki lives,’ I thought.

“You up for a little experiment?” he asked.

“Um, sure, I guess,” I said, looking at him doubtfully.

“I owe him this, big time,” he said, mostly to himself, and the look on his face made me feel sorry for Jay.

Suddenly, it came to me what he was thinking, and I grinned. “We both owe _both_ of them!” I said. “Tonight, at dinner?”

“Perfect. You’re on,” he said, with another evil grin.

As usual on a work night, dinner was taken at the dining room of the inn. The place was convenient, and Nathan’s mother really did do a wonderful spread of healthy, nutritious food choices for us all. And also, as had become usual, Jay and I were to dine with Tom and Bethany. That night, when Jay and I arrived, we found our usual table already taken, and Tom and Bethany already sitting at another table at the other side of the room. Jay and I made our way between the tables full of other diners. As we got closer, Tom smirked and winked at me. The table they had chosen, or that had been chosen for them, was awkwardly shaped, with a long bench on one side, and a single chair on the other. Bethany was sitting in the corner on the bench, with Tom snugged up against her, and as Jay and I approached, Tom patted the bench next to him, and I smiled and sank down onto it, leaving the chair for Jay, and he drew it out and sat down, smirking at the three of us now sitting opposite him. Tom slipped an arm about my shoulders and pulled me close in a little hug, dropping a kiss on my brow and nuzzling his nose into my hair briefly.

“Ready, darling?” he whispered directly into my ear.

I pulled away and grinned up at him, leaning slightly towards him and rubbing my chin against the top of his shoulder. I met his eyes, and I swear, I couldn’t control the soft gasp that I gave that was barely audible. The man is sex appeal personified, and even as jaded as I am (and even though I _am_ truly, madly in love with Jay), I found myself sinking momentarily into those blue eyes. I quickly got control of myself, put my mouth against his ear and whispered back. 

“More than ready,” I said, giving him a wink.

Jay

I don’t think I’ll ever understand women. I think most men feel that way at some point in their lives, but come on, guys, if we’re honest, can’t we admit that they do things that make no sense, every single day? You think you have them figured out, then bam, they change on you again, like fucking chameleons.

They ask you, “Does this make me look fat?”

And you value your cojones, so of course you say, “Why, no dear, it looks lovely.”

But then she’ll say, “You’re lying! I wish just once, you’d tell me the truth.”

So, to please her, you tell her the truth. “OK, yeah, you look like you might be able to influence the tides.”

And you wind up sleeping on the sofa for a week and a half.

Take Clarice, for instance. We met on the set of one of my movies (This Is The End. Have you seen it?), and I liked her right away. In fact, she’s beautiful, and wry, and sarcastic. She’s smart, and funny, with a keen wit and a smart mouth. I asked her out. I’m pretty sure from some of the things I’ve heard (and overheard), that I am not her normal type at all. But, she gave me a shot, and we hit it off. It’s been four years since my fiancée chose New York and fame over Canada and me, and while my heart was bruised for a while, I don’t think it was ever really broken, and Reecy and I are good together.

I’m not one of those men who won’t invest emotionally, and I don’t shy away from commitment. When I knew I was in love with Clarice, I told her so. When she told me she loved me back, well, honestly, I was overjoyed. I’ve been engaged before, so you can see, I _am_ capable of commitment. And it was my fiancée who broke our engagement, not I. But, I think I can be forgiven for being a little gun shy; about six months after we started dating, I knew that I was going to propose to Clarice, I just didn’t know when.

Somehow, being on set with Clarice for this movie for Davy and Danny, being in London, and later in Cambridge, had me thinking more and more about marrying Clarice. The whole thing was just so romantic, and I do love her, and I know she loves me, and that she’s ready for the commitment. So, I had already picked out the perfect ring, and I found the perfect time. And we actually have beautiful, telephoto shots of me down on one knee, thanks to the diligent paparazzi.

But, fucking Tom Hiddleston… Well, don’t get me started…

OK, I’ll go there. I love the guy, all right? I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for anyone, male, female or neuter, to not love this delightful twit of a man. His charm is epic, he’s handsome, funny, slick, cultured, educated, elegant, enthusiastic, inspirational, wise, kind, creative, talented, generous, giving, warm – in short, the guy is perfection personified. Real men cannot compete, so I wasn’t sure I should even try. I’ll admit, I maybe would have waited longer to propose, if it hadn’t been for Tom “I’m madly in love with you after only a week marry me I’m so romantic” Hiddleston!

But, he definitely gives the rest of us guys a bad name. So, that afternoon, I knew something was up. Clarice hadn’t been herself for a few days, anyway, and when Tom and Bethany announced that they were going to be parents (way to go, Tom. Thanks a lot), and Tom took the four of us out dancing to celebrate, and after what all happened that night with Bethany, well, that seemed to be a final straw for Clarice. I knew something was bothering her, but I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know what to do to fix it.

So, when we got down to the dining room, and Tom pulled Clarice down on the bench next to him, and kissed her, in front of both Bethany and I, I was momentarily stunned. I had to make a conscious effort to close my mouth, but then, I told myself that surely I had been imagining it. We got up from the table then, to go to the buffet line. Clarice was up first, and she waited for Tom, and then he put one hand on the small of her back, and they headed off, leaving Bethany scrambling out from behind the table, and me just standing there, speechless. Neither one of them looked back to see if Bethany and I were following.

“What just happened?” Bethany asked, looking up at me. I think she must wear contacts, because this night she had on glasses, which I’d never seen her wear before, and they really magnifying her eyes, which looked so confused as she blinked up at me.

“No idea,” I murmured, shrugging. “But shall we go join the queue?”

“Yeah, OK,” Bethany said, and we made our way to the end of line. There were now a few people between us and Tom and Clarice, but I could still see them standing there, Tom bent down over Clarice, his head close to hers, and they were chatting away quietly. Tom kept pulling back just enough to look — adoringly? – into her eyes.

“What the fuck?” I said, the words torn from me involuntarily, and Bethany looked up at me, a look of such pain on her face, that I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my side. “This can’t be what it looks like,” I said softly, looking down into her face.

She drew a deep breath. “No, of course not. You’re right,” she said, making a visible effort to pull herself together. She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes as she watched them, but winced when Tom threw back his head and gave out one of his distinctive little laughs at something Clarice had said.

“They’re up to something,” I muttered, mostly to myself. I knew that Tom loved Bethany to distraction, that he wouldn’t do anything to really hurt her. And really, what had they done? Just talked and laughed. And cuddled. Looked intimate. Ignored Bethany and me.

I found that I really disliked Tom’s grating laugh.

They got through the buffet line and headed back for our table, and Clarice moved along the bench into the corner where Bethany had been sitting previously. Bethany and I weren’t far behind them, and we both, by unspoken mutual agreement, hurried over to join them. They continued their mostly-whispered conversation, pretty much ignoring the two of us. Bethany took the seat on the bench next to Tom, while I took the chair again. As I watched them across the table, I was torn between ignoring them and calling them on it.

Just as I was opening my mouth to say something – I wasn’t sure what, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep silent any longer, Clarice looked over at me and met my eyes. Her expression was hard to read: a mixture of guilt, defiance, and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I decided to not say anything until Clarice and I were alone after dinner. A glance as Bethany let me know that she had come to the same decision.

I tried to analyze what I was feeling. Curiosity, puzzlement, hurt. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the most primary emotion was something that surprised me: jealousy. I was jealous. And not just of what was happening with Tom and Clarice, but, how they were behaving was casting a spotlight on my relationship with Clarice, and how we were together. I was jealous of the _relationship_ between Tom and Bethany.

The meal was uncomfortable. Bethany’s transparent face went from showing hurt, to anger, to resignation, and while I was dismayed by my own reactions, I was angry that Tom would put Bethany through this. After all, she was carrying his child! How could he be doing this? And yet, once again, I had to ask myself, what exactly was he doing that was so bad? Nothing I could point my finger at that wouldn’t make me look like a jealous child. Any questioning of him in front of everyone would just make me look petty and small. No, my original plan, to speak to Reecy privately after dinner, still seemed to me to be the best plan.

Finally, dinner was over. As we rose from the table, Tom and Reecy continued to huddle together, conversing in hushed tones. Bethany just stood with her arms folded across her middle, glaring, and I guessed Tom might have an uncomfortable evening ahead of him. Finally, Tom dropped a kiss onto Reecy’s mouth, squeezed her close for a moment, and then turned to me.

“Well, goodnight, Jay,” he said, his expression unreadable. While we watched, he cupped a hand around Bethany’s face, kissed her forehead gently, and looked into her eyes. He whispered something to her that had her swatting him in the chest, before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him, then swatting him again. She turned around and threw a glance at me: chagrin, amusement, and something else. I shrugged, and gave her a little wave, and she and Tom went upstairs together.

I put my fingers under Reecy’s chin and tipped her face up to mine. She looked up at me mischievously, and I kissed her gently. “What’s up with you and Tom?” I asked her. “You guys about killed poor Bethany.”

Her face dropped, but I saw her disappointed expression before she hid her face from me. I had to duck my head to hear her words. “What about you?” she whispered.

“Let’s walk,” I said gritting my teeth and grasping her arm, pulling her after me. She put her other hand over mine where I held her, and when I looked back at her, I was surprised to see a little satisfied smile playing about her lips. I loosened my grip, but I didn’t let go, as I turned back around and continued to lead her out the door, and around the grounds of the inn.

There’s a little gazebo in the gardens of the inn, and that’s where I headed, with Clarice in tow. I sat her down, then seated myself beside her. “What gives?” I asked, taking her hand and squeezing it.

She looked into my eyes, but then looked away. “Do you love me, Jay?” she asked in a small voice.

“Ah, Reecy, you know I do,” I said, hurt that she could even ask. “I asked you to marry me,” I said. “I wouldn’t have done that, if I didn’t love you.”

“I was just feeling jealous of Bethany,” she said, in that same little voice. “Everyone knows that Tom loves her. He doesn’t ever try to hide it. He… he _breathes_ it; he _lives_ it. No one can doubt it. And they’re going to get married, and have a baby, and I want that, too.”

“Oh, Reecy, I want that too!” I said, cupping my free hand around the back of her head and kissing her gently. After a moment, she kissed me back, and my heart sped up. “I’m sorry I don’t always show it,” I said earnestly. “Not everyone can be Tom Fucking Hiddleston.”

“I don’t want Tom, I want you!” she said fiercely, grabbing my shirt and pulling me close, getting all up in my face. I kissed her again, teasing her mouth open with my tongue, and she moaned softly.

After a bit, I broke the kiss and pulled away, pushing her hair back off her forehead. “You just want me to be more like Tom,” I said. “More demonstrative, more romantic, more public, and just… _more_ , right?”

“Yes!” she said gratefully. “And Jay, I … I want you to _need_ me.”

I bit my lip. Did she really not know how much I need her? “Reecy,” I said softly. “Look at me, baby. I do need you. I guess I haven’t been doing a very good job of showing it, if you don’t know that.”

“I guess I’d like to be told once in a while,” she said sheepishly. “And yeah, if you could maybe, uh, be over the top, once in a while?”

I chuckled. “I can act like Tom once in a while,” I said slyly. “Are you sure you want that?”

“Yes,” she said, pouting a little. “And Jay?”

I just looked at her questioningly, my brows raised.

“I want a baby, too,” she whispered.

I thought about that for a moment. Did you know that men have biological clocks just like women do? I’m thirty-two years old…

I gave Clarice a leer. “I can do that too,” I said suggestively.


	53. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand, we’re back to Tom and Bethany! So sweet, so fluffy! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 53, Bethany

I really did feel like a princess in the outfit Tom had picked out for me, and he, of course, was devastatingly handsome in a navy suit and tie, complete with waistcoat. Clarice looked beautiful as well, in a lovely, pale ice-blue cocktail dress and matching strapped sandals. Jay had actually put on a suit for the occasion, too, and I found myself thinking that he did clean up nice. He wore his collar open with his tie loose, but he looked pretty formal, for him. We went out and piled into Tom’s Jag, Jay and Clarice in the back, and me in front with Tom. He patted my knee as he started the car.

“Oh, I’m so unbelievably excited,” he said enthusiastically. “We’re all just going to have so much fun tonight.”

“Where are you taking us, Tom?” Clarice asked, and Tom glanced at her briefly in the mirror when he answered.

“It’s a club that has been here since before I was here at uni,” he said. “It’s called Ballare. They have a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, and a really big dance floor. I always used to love to go there when I was at school here. And tonight, they’re having live music.”

“Oh, that’s always fun,” I said. “Do you know what kind of music?”

“A kind of eclectic mix, I gather, from what information I was able to find,” Tom said, smiling at me briefly. “Classic dance jazz, swing, big band, and a couple of other things thrown in. I have never heard of the group, but they’ve got good reviews.”

“Perfect,” I said, running my hand along his thigh. “And I guess I can be the designated driver, as I won’t be drinking for a few months.”

He took a deep breath and said, “I love you, Bethany,” in a voice that only I could hear.

Ballare was clearly a happening place. It was fairly crowded, but Tom had reserved us a booth right off of the dance floor.

“Oh, Tom, this is so nice,” Clarice said enthusiastically.

“You girls sit,” Jay said. “Tom, let’s go order dinner and get some drinks.”

“Dinner’s limited,” Tom said, “but we’ll get what we can. Coke, Bethany?”

“Yes, please. Thanks, Tom,” I looked up at him, a little in awe. He looked like he belonged here, but I felt a little out of place.

“Both you and Jay look a little ‘deer in the headlights,’” Clarice said, trying not to smile.

“I just haven’t spent a lot of time in places like this,” I confessed.

“Well, relax and enjoy it!” she told me. “You know Tom is totally going to take care you.”

“You’re right, of course,” I said ruefully. “He always does!”

Our fellows were making their way back to us, drinks held high. Tom put the glass of Coke down in front of me and I sipped it gratefully. “Oh, this is good,” I said surprised. “What is this?” because it was more than just Coke.

“This is an American drink called a Roy Rogers,” Tom said, pleased. “It’s Coke and grenadine. I thought you should have something a little festive for the occasion.”

“You spoil me,” I said, kissing his cheek. I turned to Clarice. “What do you have?”

“Strawberry daiquiri,” she said, sounding apologetic.

“A good choice,” I told her, grinning. “I have to live vicariously through you!” Jay had Guinness, and I think Tom had Jameson. He held up his glass.

“I’m only going to have one,” he said to me quietly, then he raised his voice. “To good friends, steady work, and dancing. To Bethany and our baby!” We clinked glasses and drank.

The band had evidently been on break, because as we finished our toast, they were assembling onstage. It was a quartet: saxophone, string bass, piano, and percussion. There was something so familiar about the lady sax player, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

The waiter arrived with our food just as the combo started playing, and I promptly forgot about the sax player as we ate our dinner. Of course, it wasn’t long before Tom stood, pulling me to my feet and leading me on to the dance floor. He’s such a wonderful dancer; of course, everyone has seen footage of him busting his moves solo, but he’s a fantastic partner, who really knows how to lead, giving firm direction without any ambiguous, extraneous prompts. He guided me around in a swing, a jazzy foxtrot, a waltz, and a samba, before the band launched into a frenetic fast dance. He spun me around and our feet flew. I didn’t realize we’d had an audience until after the dance was over. Tom and I made our way back to our table and collapsed into our seats, to a smattering of applause. I’m sure my face was already pink with exertion, but I was blushing, too.

“I need to use the wash room,” Tom said, rising and smiling down at me.

At that point, the band was on another break, and Jay and Clarice were dancing to the canned music that was playing in the interim. As I sipped my drink, I was totally surprised to see the lady sax player from the combo plopping down into Tom’s seat.

“Bethany Murrow!” she said, and instantly I knew who she was.

“Oh my gosh, Lissa Peavey! As I live and breathe!” I said, smiling.

“Lissa Stratton, now,” she said, grinning. She gestured with a nod of her head over towards the platform. “I married the piano player!”

The man in question raised a hand, waving. “John Stratton,” he called. “Nice to meet you.”

I waved back. “It’s been forever,” I said. “How have you been?”

“Oh, you know,” she said. “Married, kids, bandleader.”

“That’s amazing!” I said. “How many kids?”

“Three,” she said proudly. “We have a single and twins.”

“And you’re the band leader?” I could believe that. Lissa always was a go-getter. We had been at high school together, where she was involved in the student government and the music program. She and I had been so different, but we’d clicked, sharing a love of music. Such dreams we’d had, of going on tour together… but I hadn’t seen her for years.

“I am the bandleader,” she said. “But, what about you? And, the man you’re with – is that who I think it is?”

“Probably,” I said, smirking. “I’m here with the Canadian actor Jay Baruchel and his fiancée, Clarice.”

“Yes, l recognized _him_ ,” she said, then she swatted me on the shoulder. “But you know that’s not who I’m talking about! I saw you dancing!”

“Oh, _him_. That’s my fiancé, Tom,” I said teasingly.

“It _is_ him!” she said excitedly, brows raised. “It _is_ Tom Hiddleston! He’s your fiancé?”

“Yes,” I said, nodding, blushing again. “It’s been a whirlwind courtship.”

“But Bethany, that’s so exciting!” she said. “And do you still sing?”

“Not much,” I said regretfully, shaking my head.

“Now that’s a shame,” she said, frowning. “Would you like to sit in with us? How about a song for your Tom?”

I couldn’t help getting excited by the thought of surprising Tom the way that he had surprised me that night we’d gone for karaoke. “‘The Way You Look Tonight’?” I asked, brows raised.

“What key?” she asked, grinning.

“C major,” I said. “Here he comes!”

“Well, just come up onto the platform when you’re ready,” she said, getting up to go back to the band.

“Now is good, since he’s coming,” I said, standing myself and following her.

We got up to the platform and I took my place in front of a microphone. Lissa put the sax strap around her neck, then she spoke into her own mic. “Hey, folks,” she said, smiling. “We’ve got a special treat in store for you, sitting in with the band tonight. May I present Miss Bethany Murrow, an amazing singer with a special song for a certain person. You know who you are, darling,” she finished, looking straight at Tom.

The combo started in with the opening strains, and I looked at Tom and started to sing.

Some day, when I’m awfully low,

When the world is cold,

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight.

Oh, yes you’re lovely, with your smile so warm

And your cheek so soft,

There is nothing for me but to love you,

Just the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,

Tearing my fear apart

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,

Touches my foolish heart.

Lovely, never, never change.

Keep that breathless charm.

Won’t you please arrange it?

‘Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight.

Just the way you look tonight.

(This song was written by Jerome Kern & Dorothy Fields)

 

The applause that hit was gratifying. Once upon a time, I had considered a career in music, and now Lissa was living our dream. I had caved to the pressure of wanting something more stable. I didn’t think I’d ever really regretted that decision, until now. But then, I realized, that if I hadn’t chose cosmetology and fashion design, then I probably never would have met Tom. And as I looked at his face as the cheering died down, I knew that the only right decision was the one that had led me here, to be with him. He was watching me steadily, tears dripping down his face, then he held out a hand to me, and I ran into his arms.

“Tom Hiddleston and Bethany Murrow, here celebrating their engagement, everybody,” Lissa said into the microphone, and the applause was thunderous.

Tom swept me into out onto the dance floor as Lissa’s combo started up a slow song. “Well, so much for that secret,” I murmured into his ear.

He pulled back just enough that he could look into my face. “You know I don’t want it to be a secret,” he said, grinning at me. “I want us to marry soon, and that’s harder if no one even knows we’re engaged!”

“I guess you’re right about that,” I said, tucking my head back under his chin, resting my face against his chest. The steady beat of his heart against my cheek was somehow so comforting, so reassuring – I don’t know. It really touched me that night somehow.

Jay and Clarice were at the table when Tom and I returned. Clarice looked up at me with an expression I couldn’t interpret, and then she beamed at me. “That was quite a performance!” she said. “I knew you could sing, from karaoke the night we got engaged, but I didn’t know you could _sing_.”

“Yeah, what was that?” Jay asked, brows raised.

“Didn’t you all know? Bethany was on the fast track to go pro.” It was Lissa speaking; I hadn’t noticed her approaching our table. “We’ve had several requests for another song. You up for it?” she continued.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked, my voice squeaking a little in my surprise.

“No, I’m not,” she said, gesturing to the crowd.

I took a quick look around, stunned to see almost everyone in the room looking at me, some encouragingly, some hopeful. I won’t lie, it was quite a rush.

I looked at Tom. “Do you mind?” I asked.

His mouth quirked, before breaking into a huge smile. “Are you kidding?” he said. “Go sing for me.”

“You’re the best,” I said, as I got up from the table. People were already starting to clap as I made my way up to the platform. As I got close enough for Lissa to hear me, I asked, “My Romance, in G major?”

“Perfect,” she said to me, smirking, and then, into the microphone, “By popular demand, once more, Miss Bethany Murrow.”

Instantly, I was back with Lissa in high school. Just as we had used to do then, we skipped the verse and went straight to the chorus. I really got into it, singing the words from my heart.

My romance doesn’t have to have a moon in the sky;

My romance doesn’t need a blue lagoon standing by.

No month of May, no twinkling stars,

No hide away, no soft guitars.

My romance doesn’t need a castle rising in Spain,

Nor a dance to a constantly surprising refrain.

Wide awake, I can make my most fantastic dreams come true —

My romance doesn’t need a thing but you.

(Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart)

There was absolute silence as the last note dwindled and died out, and then pretty much everyone was on their feet, applauding. Damn, maybe I should re-think my career choice…

Tom was at the foot of the platform, and he held out a hand for me as I started down the stairs. He grabbed me and held me tight, his face buried in my hair, not saying a thing. He was shaking, and I realized he was sobbing silently.

I pulled away from him, looking up into his eyes in surprise, a feeling of dread coming over me. “Tom, what is it? What’s wrong?”

He wiped his face, looking down at me with such pathos. “It was just so beautiful,” he said. “And then, I looked around, at everyone… Bethany, you have a gift. You should be on stage. But, if you do that, then the chances of our schedules meshing becomes nearly nil, and we’d never see each other, and then you’d leave me…”

I sighed in relief. “Oh my gosh, Tom, what an imagination,” I said, exasperated, but touched. The man is just so sweet. “Better to worry about the five-year contract I just signed with Disney!” I said.

He hugged me again, rubbing his hands over my back, and I sank into his embrace. “You’re silly,” I said, my voice muffled.

He squeezed me, then pulled away, taking my hand in his. I was glad to see that he was back to his normal, smiling self. “You love me _because_ I’m silly,” he murmured, smirking down at me as he led me back to our table. “At the next break, you’ll have to introduce me to the band, and tell me all about how you know them.”

“I can do that,” I said, as we took our seats once again.


	54. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom’s POV. He’s such a romantic devil! Is it OK to love your own story? Because I love this… I hope you do, too. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 54, Tom

Bethany looked unbelievably lovely in the dress I’d chosen for her; the color was perfect, and the cut and lines made the most of her compact, curvy figure. And the flats were perfect, too. I absolutely towered over her, which is just the way I wanted it. I felt like a king. Having her on my arm was more than a pleasure, it was a privilege. I’m not sure my feet even touched the ground as I escorted her to the car.

Jay and I wore suits, of course, and Clarice’s pale blue dress was also quite lovely. With Jay and Clarice in the back, and Bethany beside me, with my hand resting on her knee, we headed out.

“Oh, I’m so unbelievably excited,” I blurted out. “We’re all just going to have so much fun tonight.”

“Where are you taking us, Tom?” Clarice asked, and I met her eyes briefly in the rearview mirror as I answered.

“It’s a club that has been here since before I was here at uni,” I said, loud enough so that everyone in the car could hear. “It’s called Ballare. They have a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, and a really big dance floor. I always used to love to go there when I was at school here. And tonight, they’re having live music.” The place had gone through a few name changes, but it was still pretty much the awesome place it had been when I had been at school here.

“Oh, that’s always fun,” Bethany said enthusiastically. “Do you know what kind of music?”

“A kind of eclectic mix, I gather, from what information I was able to find,” I told her. “Classic dance jazz, swing, big band, and a couple of other things thrown in. I have never heard of the group, but they’ve got good reviews.”

“Perfect,” she said, patting my leg. “And I guess I can be the designated driver, as I won’t be drinking for a few months.”

Oh, yes. I was gratified that Bethany was thinking that way, and it touched something deep inside of me to hear her say it. I took a deep breath and quietly said, “I love you, Bethany.”

Ballare was still the place to go in Cambridge for nightlife. It was obviously popular, and I was glad that I had booked us a booth right off of the dance floor.

“Oh, Tom, this is so nice,” Clarice said enthusiastically.

“You girls sit,” Jay said. “Tom, let’s go order dinner and get some drinks.”

If I remembered correctly, one didn’t come here for the food. “Dinner’s limited,” I said, “but we’ll get what we can. Coke, Bethany?”

“Yes, please. Thanks, Tom,” Bethany said, giving me a strange look. Of course, I worried about her. I hoped she was all right.

Jay and I made our way over to the bar, where we were able to order some fish and chips. Jay ordered a strawberry daiquiri for Clarice, and Guinness for himself. I debated with myself, whether I should drink at all, since I knew Bethany couldn’t. I finally decided that Bethany would not want me to abstain, so I ordered a Jameson, determining to make it last. I felt bad for Bethany; I wanted tonight to be a celebration. I remembered something I’d seen in New York when I was there last.

“Do you know how to make a Roy Rogers?” I asked the bartender.

He grinned. “I sure do,” he said, and proceeded to make one. Jay and I took our drinks and made our way back to our girls.

Jay presented Clarice with her daiquiri, and I put Bethany’s drink on the table in front of her, hoping she’d like it. She took a taste. “Oh, this is good,” she said, clearly surprised. “What is this?”

“This is an American drink called a Roy Rogers,” I said, happy that she liked it. “It’s Coke and grenadine. I thought you should have something a little festive for the occasion.”

“You spoil me,” she said happily, giving me a peck on the cheek. Then she turned to Clarice. “What do you have?”

“Strawberry daiquiri,” Clarice said, and I think she, like I, felt a little funny about drinking when Bethany couldn’t.

But smiling, Bethany put us both at ease with what she said next. “A good choice. I have to live vicariously through you!”

I held up my glass. “I’m only going to have one,” I told her quietly, then louder, I said, “To good friends, steady work, and dancing. To Bethany and our baby!” We clinked glasses and drank.

As we were finishing our toast, the combo was taking the stage. It was a quartet called The Stratton Four, and consisted of a saxophone, a string bass, a piano, and percussion. They took their places and ran through a brief tune up.

The waiter arrived with our food just as the combo started playing, and the music was lively and quite catchy, a perfect accompaniment as we ate our dinner. But I was eager to dance, so as soon a Bethany had finished, I swept her out onto the dance floor for a swing, a jazzy foxtrot, a waltz, and a samba, in quick succession, and then the combo began an extremely energetic freeform tune. Bethany is a wonderful partner, very sensitive to the prompts, able to take direction, and with no latent tendencies to lead; it makes her a joy to dance with. I spun her around and around, and she matched me step for step. When the dance was over, I noticed that we’d attracted quite a little following, and I think both Bethany and I were a little embarrassed when several people clapped. We made our way back to our table and collapsed into our seats.

I was a sweaty mess. “I need to use the wash room,” I said, getting back up again. I gave Bethany a smile as I headed in the right direction. I used the toilet, then washed my hands, splashing my face with cold water, hoping to cool down a little. Feeling a bit more presentable, I went back out to the bar.

From across the room, I could see Jay and Clarice, dancing to canned music that was playing in the interim; evidently the combo was on a break. As I got closer to our booth, I could see Bethany talking animatedly to a woman who was sitting in my spot. I continued towards them, and I could see Bethany looking over at me approaching, but before I could get there, she got to her feet and followed up to the platform. As the woman picked up the sax, I realized that she was with the band.

I took my seat just as she started to speak into her microphone. “Hey, folks,” she said, smiling. “We’ve got a special treat in store for you, sitting in with the band tonight. May I present Miss Bethany Murrow, an amazing singer with a special song for a certain person. You know who you are, darling,” she finished, looking straight at me.

They started to play, and then, my Bethy looked at me and sang this, just for me:

Some day, when I’m awfully low,

When the world is cold,

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight.

Oh, yes you’re lovely, with your smile so warm

And your cheek so soft,

There is nothing for me but to love you,

Just the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,

Tearing my fear apart

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,

Touches my foolish heart.

Lovely, never, never change.

Keep that breathless charm.

Won’t you please arrange it?

‘Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight.

Just the way you look tonight.

(This song was written by Jerome Kern & Dorothy Fields)

 

I don’t know when I became aware that I was crying, and I’m not sure why I was, either. Bethany’s voice is beautiful, and it’s obvious that she’s had some training. She has a deep, rich contralto voice, almost tenor, and that is such a romantic song. I could tell that she meant every word, and I felt so honored to be the person she was singing to, and about.

Of course, the crowd loved her, and as the applause died down, she started down the stairs off of the platform, and I held my hand out to help her, and she ran to hug me. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight, as the woman Bethany had been talking with, who was obviously the bandleader, said, “Tom Hiddleston and Bethany Murrow, here celebrating their engagement, everybody.” And with that announcement, the applause was thunderous.

Of course, the combo beginning to play a slow number was a great excuse to take Bethany in my arms out on the dance floor.

“Well, so much for that secret,” she said ruefully, but to tell you the truth, I was delighted.

I pulled back just enough so that I could see her eyes. “You know I don’t want it to be a secret,” I reminded her, and I probably had that goofy smile that I get – you know the one. “I want us to marry soon, and that’s harder if no one even knows we’re engaged!”

“I guess you’re right about that,” she said, nestling against me, and I cradled her to me, knowing that she is the most precious thing in my life.

Jay and Clarice were there when we got back to our table. Clarice’s smile was brilliant as she greeted Bethany. “That was quite a performance!” she said. “I knew you could sing, from karaoke the night we got engaged, but I didn’t know you could _sing_.”

“Yeah, what was that?” Jay asked, brows raised.

The bandleader had evidently been watching Bethany and I dance, because when she saw us making for our booth, she approached, too, and she must have overheard us as well. “Didn’t you all know? Bethany was on the fast track to go pro,” she said. “We’ve had several requests for another song. You up for it?” she continued.

“You’re kidding, right?” Bethany asked, her voice cracking in embarrassment.

“No, I’m not,” she said, gesturing to the crowd. Everyone in the crowd was looking at us, and it was clear that they were indeed eager to hear Bethany sing again.

She looked at me apologetically. “Do you mind?” she asked.

What a silly question! How could I possibly mind? She was a joy to listen to, and I wondered what other breathtakingly romantic songs she had in her repertoire. “Are you kidding?” I asked her. “Go sing for me.”

“You’re the best,” she said, standing and making her way towards the platform. The crowd, which were keenly watching, were already clapping as she took her place.

She said something to the bandleader, who stepped to a mic, and with a smirk, said, “By popular demand, once more, Miss Bethany Murrow.”

And I’ll be damned if she didn’t outdo herself. I would have said it wouldn’t be possible to sing a more romantic song than the first one, but somehow, the way her voice colored the simplicity of this song, absolutely took my breath away:

My romance doesn’t have to have a moon in the sky;

My romance doesn’t need a blue lagoon standing by.

No month of May, no twinkling stars,

No hide-away, no soft guitars.

My romance doesn’t need a castle rising in Spain,

Nor a dance to a constantly surprising refrain.

Wide awake, I can make my most fantastic dreams come true —

My romance doesn’t need a thing but you.

(Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart)

Of course, she got a standing ovation, and I had a sudden vision of her touring with the band, concerts and shows, one gig after another, dozens of exciting venues; when I was on location, she’d be home, but when I was home, she’d be touring. We’d never see each other, and eventually, some musician would catch her fancy, and she’d forget all about good old Tom, back home in London…

Again, l went to help her down the stairs, but once she was down, I confess, I grabbed her, holding her like I’d never let her go. I was crying again, this time, not just because the song was beautiful (because it was), but because I genuinely thought that it was possible that I could lose her; the look on her face, how much she was enjoying the applause – truly, it frightened me.

Bethany drew back so that she could see my face, and she looked worried when she asked me, “Tom, what is it? What’s wrong?”

I dried my tears and tried to put what I was feeling into words. “It was just so beautiful,” I finally said. “And then, I looked around, at everyone… Bethany, you have a gift. You should be on stage. But, if you do that, then the chances of our schedules meshing becomes nearly nil, and we’d never see each other, and then you’d leave me…”

So, I’d bared my soul, and what did she do? She heaved a sigh and actually rolled her eyes at me! “Oh my gosh, Tom, what an imagination,” she said, exasperatedly. “Better to worry about the five-year contract I just signed with Disney!”

Well, OK, damn. She was probably right about that. I pulled her back into my arms, and this time she melted against me. “You’re silly,” she said, her voice muffled against my chest.

I tightened my arms about her, then I released her, but keeping her hand in mine, I led her back to our booth.

“You love me _because_ I’m silly,” I said to her, smiling goofily again. “At the next break, you’ll have to introduce me to the band, and tell me all about how you know them.”

“I can do that,” she said, as we took our seats once more.


	55. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter pretty much wrote itself, and came out pretty much exactly the way I wanted it to! I can’t wait for Tom to tell his side of it… you know he’s gonna go on and on. And I love Bethany! So spunky! Enjoy!

Chapter 55, Bethany

The rest of our evening passed pleasantly after that, but it was all a bit anti-climactic. It had been fun singing with Lissa’s band, but I do love the career I’ve chosen. It may not be as glamorous, but I certainly get the opportunity to meet, and work with, so many wonderful people, both in front of and behind the camera. I’d found some fantastic friends, most recently, Jay and Clarice. And it had given me Tom. Nothing could ever bring me more joy than that.

The next time they took a break, Lissa’s group came over and had drinks with us, and she and I took turns embarrassing each other in front of our men. Her John seemed a good guy, and he and Tom encouraged the two of us to get together more. She and I exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, and promised to stay in touch, and after that, our evening was pretty much over. After bidding Lissa and the band a wistful goodnight, Jay, Clarice, Tom, and I went back to the inn.

The next day on location, Jay, Tom, and I were prepping in our trailer, when a messenger knocked at the door.

“Danny wants to meet with Tom and Bethany,” he said, glancing at some papers he was carrying, “and Davy wants to meet with Jay and Clarice. I have to go see her next.”

“By all means,” Jay said “Thank you. Any idea what it’s about?”

“Absolutely none,” the boy said, grinning. “I’m just the messenger! You know as much as I do. Six-thirty sharp, though, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Tom said, smirking. “OK, woman, step lively. Make us pretty.”

Both he and Jay were laughing, and I swatted both of them on a shoulder, then went back to doing Jay’s hair. It only took me a few more minutes, and they were both ready, so I packed my gear, Tom shouldered my bag, and the three of us headed for the set. As we approached the girls’ trailer, Jay said, “I’ll just stop and see if Clarice is ready. You two carry on.”

“OK,” I said. “See you over there.”

I took Tom’s hand as we walked. “I wonder what this is about,” Tom said, his brow furrowed questioningly. “Why does he want to meet with both of us? And why Jay and Clarice?”

“Yes, we’ve been pretty low-key onset, I think…” I said, trying to think if we’d been overly demonstrative.

“Well, porta-loo…” Tom said, grinning. “But Jay and Clarice have been gold. No, it must be something else.”

“Well, we’re about to find out,” I said, because we had arrived. We stopped to drop my bag near the primp station, then, still holding hands, we walked over to where Danny was having morning briefing with some techs. He finished his thoughts to them, then dismissed them, before turning to us.

“Hey, good morning, good to see you two,” he said, shaking Tom’s hand. Then he turned to me, hand outstretched, and as I took it and we shook, he said, “Bethany, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, oddly pleased that he knew my name.

“I have something I want to discuss with the both of you,” he said, turning and heading for his ‘office,’ a makeshift space where they’d brought in a desk and some chairs, and put up some portable screening. Davy had an identical set up, and I wondered if Jay and Clarice were having a similar experience, or if their issue was totally unrelated. Danny sat behind the desk, and indicated that we should take a couple of the chairs.

“I hear that you two are actually engaged to be married,” he said, smiling brightly. “Is that right?”

When both Tom and I nodded, linking hands again and exchanging a goofy, loving look, he went on. “The thing is,” he said, “we have no budget for this film. I think you know this.” Tom and I nodded again, and he continued. “The last big scene we still need to film is the double wedding scene.”

I knew that from having read the script. Call me a sappy romantic, but I couldn’t wait to see it filmed. A couple of months ago, I wouldn’t have cared one way or another, but since Tom… Well, the man has turned me into a love-sick fool! What can I say?

“So anyway,” Danny went on, “you’re wearing your own clothes, as you know. Tom, I know you have a tux, so you’re set. And Jay is fine.” He paused, and I could tell he was uncomfortable, but he seemed excited, too.

“Kate is married, and she’s agreed to wear her own wedding gown.” He stopped again, and Tom was smirking at him.

“Come on, Danny,” Tom said. “Quit beating about the bush, and just tell us what this is about.”

“OK,” Danny said, taking a deep breath. “You see, it’s this way: Jennifer isn’t married, and she doesn’t own a wedding gown. We can’t afford to buy one. Jennifer said she’d buy one herself, but she says that it’s silly for her to buy a gown for nothing, when she’s not engaged, or even really dating…” Danny got up and started pacing the small space behind his desk. He paused dramatically and faced us. “OK, here it is,” he said, looking from me, to Tom, then back to me again. “Jennifer wants to buy the dress for _you_ , Bethany. She wants us to shoot the wedding scenes with you, instead of her. We’d use her for the close ups, but the distance shots would all be you. And she said, wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a real preacher, and it could be a real wedding, and maybe Jay and his girl – what’s her name? Clara? Carla?”

“Clarice,” Tom supplied helpfully.

“Clarice… well, maybe we could film an actual, real double wedding for the movie. That’s what Jennifer said, and my crazy brother likes it and wants to run with the idea… But it’s totally up to all of you, of course…”

I was totally mind-boggled. On the one hand, it seemed absolutely ludicrous. What would our families say, and how could we possibly arrange it all in the approximately three weeks’ time we still had left to film? I collapsed back in my chair, at a total loss for words.

But Tom looked like a little boy who had just been presented with the biggest Lego set ever made. His giant, quintessential Tom smile was bright enough to light up all of Cambridge.

“Oh my god, Danny, this is brilliant!” He jumped up, unable to be still. Tom has so much energy in his body, that things like this really throw him. When he gets like this, he either runs, or does yoga. Or dances, which is what he did now.

“Tom,” I said, trying to get his attention. “Tom,” a little louder. No such luck. Finally, I grabbed his arm. “Tom!” I cried. “What about Luke?”

That worked; he froze. “Luke…” he whispered. “Fuck…”

“Yes, Luke,” I said. I turned and looked at Danny speculatively, then turned my attention back to Tom. I took both his hands in both of mine, and looked into his gorgeous, pleading blue eyes. “I kinda like the idea,” I said quietly. “Everything about our relationship has been outrageously fast and incredibly crazy, anyway, and this idea, is, too, and fits right in. But do you think Luke could swing it? And could we get everything together, and our families, and friends, and… and… oh, _everything_ , together in the time we have? Could we?”

Tom sobered, and looked at me solemnly; his eyes, just shy of full puppy-ness, were nevertheless, still huge. “I don’t know,” he finally said softly, “but I think I’d like to try. If you would.”

“I think we probably ought to take a day or two to discuss and think about it,” I said doubtfully.

“But not too long,” Danny said, and I started. I’d forgotten that he was even there. “As you yourself have pointed out, we don’t have much time to pull this all together. Naturally, we would want you to bring in your friends and family. Invite as many people as you want; they will be the extras in the scene, and part of the film! And the cake, and the reception, and everything! We were going to have to assemble it all for the film, anyway. This way, it will just all be real, and not just props.”

“Tomorrow,” I said firmly. “We’ll let you know our decision tomorrow. And, I assume Davy is having a similar discussion right now with Jay and Clarice. What if they say no? And we’d need a license…”

Tom nodded. “Tomorrow, Danny,” he said, trying to sound business-like, but I could hear the hopeful tone in his voice. He really wanted this.

“OK,” Danny said. “Fair enough. And well now, let’s get out there. We have a film to shoot.”

The day’s shooting passed by in a haze. Somehow I managed to perform my duties, but anytime I looked at Tom, I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Not in a bad way, and it didn’t hurt, but I felt out of breath. If he and I agreed to do this, in less than three weeks, I would be his wife. Mrs. Tom Hiddleston. God, was I ready? No, probably not, but in just a few months after that, I would be a mother. To his child. We would be a family.

And I loved him. Oh, how I loved him. In such a short time, he had come to mean so much more to me than I would ever have thought possible. I was totally amazed at my own capacity for love. I honestly hadn’t known I was capable of feeling that much for one person, as if the whole of my existence was totally wrapped up and bound to him.

I could do this. I wanted this. We might as well agree to Danny’s plan. It would be a story to tell our grandchildren. And we wouldn’t even have to hire a videographer to record our wedding. Yes, this was my final decision, and suddenly, I couldn’t wait to tell Tom, because I knew he would be delighted.

And yet, I’m still Bethany, aren’t I? I was going to have to be the voice of reason, and attach a huge caveat: _if_ Jay and Clarice agreed; _if_ our families could all manage to come; _if_ a majority of our closest friends could make it; _if_ all the little things could be arranged; _if_ Luke didn’t kill us all…

Not to mention Jay’s PR people…

Tom’s nervous energy served him well on set that day, but I could tell he was about to come out of his own skin, he was so excited. When we broke for lunch, he rushed to me, sweeping me up and whirling around with me in his arms, before giving me a noisy, smacking kiss and setting me back down.

“Let’s get lunch,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the buffet. He was worrying his lip, and trying not to look at me, but he kept sneaking glances, a question in his eyes. Finally, I stopped dead, and after a couple of futile tugs on my hand, he visibly stilled himself and turned to fully look at me.

“OK,” I said to him exasperatedly. “We can do it – steady — IF, we can get everything arranged in time.”

Puppy eyes were in full force, but he didn’t say a word.

“It’s a big ‘if!” I said. “A _huge_ ‘if.’ We have to start with Jay and Clarice. And our families. And Luke.”

He grinned. “I can call mum and Sarah tonight,” he said.

“Luke,” I said warningly.

“Yes, him, too!” He ran his hand through his hair. “He’s going to go ballistic, isn’t he?” he said ruefully.

“Positively postal,” I agreed. “But you have to tell him, and give him a chance to arrange things.”

“I wanted to ask him if there’s been any reaction to our night out over the weekend, anyway,” Tom said. We’d both wondered if we’d made the tabloids, and if so, what his fans had thought of me, and of us as a couple.

We’d been too involved in our discussion to notice that Jay and Clarice hadn’t joined us yet, but when they finally approached where we were sitting, and took seats at our table, we all sat staring at each other in silence. Jay looked as flummoxed as I felt, while Clarice looked as hopeful and determined as Tom.

“So, what do you think about this cluster-fuck?” Jay said, his voice raw and cracking a bit. “Are we gonna do this or what?”

“Yes, I rather think we are,” I said, smirking ruefully, and Clarice and Tom laughed delightedly while Jay just ran a hand down his face.

“Good grief,” he whispered, and we all laughed.

The whole thing was a bag of cats. And somehow, I was totally looking forward to it!


	56. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Tom! He talks too much! Now, I’ve got a wedding to plan! A double wedding! Actually, I can’t wait! 
> 
> Thank you to the few (two?) of you who asked about this fic! I love the encouragement! Enjoy!

Chapter 56, Tom

As much as we joked about it, I really was genuinely concerned that Bethany might want to begin a career as a singer. She really is fantastically talented, and I know she could have success as a performer. The band joined us for drinks, and the bandleader, Lissa, who turned out to be a childhood friend of Bethy’s, regaled us with funny stories of the exploits they used to get up to. Lissa’s husband John, the piano player in the group, seemed a nice enough person, and he and I shared commiserating looks as the tales got crazier and more far-fetched. Clearly, Lissa and Bethany had been quite good friends, and both John and I urged them to exchange information and keep in touch. After bidding each other a happy goodbye, with a promise to get together soon, Jay, Clarice, Bethany, and I returned to the inn, where Bethany did her very best to reassure me that she had no wish to go on the concert circuit. It took a while, but she’s very persuasive…

Filming resumed. We were wrapping up, only a few more scenes to go, most especially the big double wedding scene. And only about six more weeks, and this film would enter the world of post-production.

Things were so much better between Jennifer and me, that I was no longer worried about it the way I had used to be. Now that she wasn’t constantly trying to jump me, I found her to be a very pleasant, friendly young woman, and it was much easier to do our scenes together. I had begun to think of her as a friend, and she turned out to be a really good listener. I think she was trying to make up for how obnoxious she had been, and she wanted to know all about Bethany: how we’d met, and what she was like, and how I saw our future together, and, I confess, I unleashed it all. I let myself spill over with enthusiasm, and I wistfully told her that if it were up to me, I’d marry Bethany that very day.

The morning after our night at Ballare, Bethany was preparing Jay and me for the day, when there was a knock on the trailer door. When I opened it, I found one of the pages, Jack, standing there with a note in his hand, so I invited him in.

“Danny wants to meet with Tom and Bethany,” he said, “and Davy wants to meet with Jay and Clarice. I have to go see her next.”

“By all means,” Jay said. “Thank you. Any idea what it’s about?”

“Absolutely none,” he said with a grin. “I’m just the messenger! You know as much as I do. Six-thirty sharp, though, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“Thanks, Jack,” I told him. I turned to Bethany and gave her a teasing smile. “OK, woman, step lively. Make us pretty.”

Jay laughed at that, and when I joined him, Bethany gave us both dirty looks and bopped us on our shoulders, then she finished up with us, packed her bag for the day, and soon we were out the door and headed for the set. When we got close to Kate, Jennifer, and Clarice’s trailer, Jay stopped.

“I’ll just stop and see if Clarice is ready. You two carry on,” he said, as he knocked on their trailer door.

“OK,” Bethany said. “See you over there.”

Bethany and I held hands while we walked. It was such a joy to me to have the right to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her, and to love her.

I squeezed her hand and said, “I wonder what this is about. Why does he want to meet with both of us? And why Jay and Clarice?”

I could only think of a couple of reasons why the director would want to meet with us. I was in front of the camera, but Bethany was behind it. Our roles were nowhere near the same. I supposed it was possible we were going to be reprimanded for inappropriate behavior, but honestly, I’d been involved in films where there had been far worse than anything that Bethany and I had gotten up to! And none of this applied at all to Jay and Clarice, who had been extremely circumspect the whole time.

“Yes, we’ve been pretty low-key onset, I think…” Bethany said, looking pensive.

The thought of the one slightly infamous exploit made me smile. “Well, porta-loo…” I reminded her, ducking as she made to swat me, then I went on. “But Jay and Clarice have been gold. No, it must be something else.”

“Well, we’re about to find out,” Bethany said, as we reached the set. We stopped by her makeup chair to drop her gear bag, then hand in hand we went to meet with Danny in his on-set office.

After he finished his morning briefing to the crew, he invited us in.

“Hey, good morning, good to see you two,” he said, shaking my hand, then he turned to Bethany and shook with her, surprising me by saying, “Bethany, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir,” she said shyly.

“I have something I want to discuss with the both of you,” he said, taking a seat behind the desk, and indicating that we should sit as well.

“I hear that you two are actually engaged to be married,” he said, smiling at us. “Is that right?”

Bethany and I nodded together, and I took her hand and gave her a loving look. Danny’s expression seemed — hopeful, I guess I’d say.

“The thing is,” he said, “we have no budget for this film. I think you know this.” Another nod from both Bethany and me. “The last big scene we still need to film is the double wedding scene.”

Yes, I knew that. I couldn’t help wondering where he was going with this, but I know from experience that Danny communicates on his own schedule.

“So anyway,” he continued, “you’re wearing your own clothes, as you know. Tom, I know you have a tux, so you’re set. And Jay is fine.” He stopped, and I felt my stomach drop. What was he trying to say?

“Kate is married, and she’s agreed to wear her own wedding gown.” Oh no. Suddenly, I had a premonition of what this was about. At that point, I wasn’t sure whether to like it or not. The suspense was killing me.

“Come on, Danny,” I said. “Quit beating about the bush, and just tell us what this is about.”

“OK,” Danny said, taking a deep breath. “You see, it’s this way: Jennifer isn’t married, and she doesn’t own a wedding gown. We can’t afford to buy one. Jennifer said she’d buy one herself, but she says that it’s silly for her to buy a gown for nothing, when she’s not engaged, or even really dating…”

Jennifer. I’d apparently been way too open with Jennifer. Danny was pacing now, and I didn’t know whether Bethany would kill or kiss me. Maybe both, one after the other.

“OK, here it is,” Danny said, peering at Bethany, then glancing at me, before focusing his attention on Bethany. “Jennifer wants to buy the dress for _you,_ Bethany. She wants us to shoot the wedding scenes with you, instead of her. We’d use her for the close ups, but the distance shots would all be you. And she said, wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a real preacher, and it could be a real wedding, and maybe Jay and his girl – what’s her name? Clara? Carla?”

“Clarice,” I said in a daze.

“Clarice… well, maybe we could film an actual, real double wedding for the movie. That’s what Jennifer said, and my crazy brother likes it and wants to run with the idea… But it’s totally up to all of you, of course…”

Oh no, she didn’t. I guess she did. Did I say that Jennifer had turned out to be a sweet kid? And I had gone on and on to her about how much I wanted to marry Bethany, how I had had to overcome her shyness, her reluctance. And Jennifer had asked how Bethany could possibly resist me, when I’m such a great guy, so handsome, and how romantic our whole situation was…

I could see that Bethany was stunned, but with the baby coming, something like this was nearly a miracle. Nothing like making our wedding an integral part of the movie to try to convince Bethany to go along with it. And I could truthfully claim total ignorance. I had genuinely had no idea that anything like this would ever come up. But did I like the idea? Well, really, what do you think?

I couldn’t sit still, and instantly I jumped up, wiggling in a little dance. I’m a kinetic person; I have to move, so, I run. Or do yoga. Or dance. “Oh my god, Danny, this is brilliant!”

I was so focused on my joy, flailing around in that way that is my organized chaos, that I totally missed Bethany trying to get my attention, until she grabbed my arm. “Tom!” she snapped. “What about Luke?”

Oh my god, really? She was going to play the Luke card on me? Man, I really love my career, but sometimes—rarely, but sometimes – I just wish I could go back to just being Tom. “Luke…” I whispered. “Fuck…”

“Yes, Luke,” Bethany said firmly, turning and eyeing Danny assessingly, before turning back to me. I’m sure I was giving her that wistful look. What do my fans call it? Puppy eyes? Yes, I’m sure I was looking like that, as Bethany reached out for both of my hands, and quietly said, “I kinda like the idea. Everything about our relationship has been outrageously fast and incredibly crazy, anyway, and this idea, is, too, and fits right in. But do you think Luke could swing it? And could we get everything together, and our families, and friends, and… and… oh, _everything_ , together in the time we have? Could we?”

I tried not to pout, but I really wanted this so much. I thought about dropping to my knees at her feet; thought better of it. Finally, I got some words out. “I don’t know, but I think I’d like to try,” I said. “If you would.”

“I think we probably ought to take a day or two to discuss and think about it,” said my ever-practical Bethany.

“But not too long,” Danny said, and Bethany jumped. I think she’d forgotten that we weren’t alone. “As you yourself have pointed out, we don’t have much time to pull this all together. Naturally, we would want you to bring in your friends and family. Invite as many people as you want; they will be the extras in the scene, and part of the film! And the cake, and the reception, and everything! We were going to have to assemble it all for the film, anyway. This way, it will just all be real, and not just props.”

They had it all worked out, and to me, it sounded fantastic. But I know from experience that Bethany doesn’t work that way.

“Tomorrow,” she said firmly. “We’ll let you know our decision tomorrow. And, I assume Davy is having a similar discussion right now with Jay and Clarice. What if they say no? And we’d need a license…”

I deferred to her. It’s the only way. “Tomorrow, Danny,” I said, knowing that I would do everything in my power that I had to do, in order to convince her tonight.

“OK,” Danny said. “Fair enough. And well now, let’s get out there. We have a film to shoot.”

After giving Bethany a swift kiss, I made my way over to where Jennifer was waiting to get started. When she saw me coming, her face broke out in a huge, teasing grin. Something about the look on my face – a mixture of joy, chagrin, elation, and dismay, I suspect – must have tipped her off.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess,” she said cheekily. “Danny’s just spoken to you.”

I couldn’t help grinning. Hell, I couldn’t help _beaming!_ “Jennifer, what did you say to him? And are you trying to get me killed?” I said, pulling her into a tight hug.

She hugged me and patted my back, then pulled away, still smiling delightedly at me. “Did I do good?” she asked, tongue in cheek. “Because, honestly, Tom, what do I need with a wedding dress when you won’t marry me? Someone might as well get some good out of this, and what girl could resist having a movie wedding be real?”

I ran my hand through my hair, my mouth twisting. “We-ell,” I drawled, “you don’t know Bethany very well. She is oh-so-very practical and reasonable, and she may yet balk at this…” I paused here to do my little wiggling dance again, holding still being, once more, impossible for me. “…but, I think, we’ve got her!” I grabbed Jennifer’s hands and danced her around a little, until Danny called everyone to places. “Thank you, Jennifer!” I said happily.

“You owe me, Hiddleston,” she said slyly over her shoulder, as she turned and made her way over to her mark.

I tried to restrain my excitement during filming, and I think I was mostly successful. Fortunately, I am very good at channeling my energy and making it work for me, but I did feel like my feet were barely touching the ground. When it was finally time for lunch, I hurried over to Bethany, grabbing her up into my arms and spinning her around, before depositing her back on her feet and bestowing a noisy kiss on her lips.

“Let’s get lunch,” I said, taking her hand and leading her towards the spread. I was half afraid to hear what she would say, but half hopeful, too. Surely even practical, reasonable Bethany wouldn’t be able to turn down an opportunity like this? I tried not to compel her, doing my best to not make eye contact, only sneaking surreptitious glances at her through my lashes. But clearly, she was on to me (have I mentioned that she somehow, actually knows me quite well?), because she suddenly stopped in her tracks and refused to budge, no matter how much I pulled on her hand. Resigned, I took a deep breath, and turned to face her.

“OK,” she said, once she was sure she had my attention. “We can do it…”

Oh my god oh my god… Yeah, it was that way. But she wasn’t finished, dammit.

“Steady,” she said. “IF, we can get everything arranged in time,” she finished, and I flinched. I couldn’t think of a thing to say, I just gave her one of my irresistible pleading looks (puppy eyes strikes again!).

“It’s a big ‘if!” she said warningly. “A _huge_ ‘if.’ We have to start with Jay and Clarice. And our families. And Luke.”

That made me smile. “I can call mum and Sarah tonight,” I said, agreeing.

“Luke,” she said sternly.

“Yes, him, too!” I said, but I really wanted to whine about it. I hadn’t talked to him in a while; I guess you could say I’d been neglecting him, and Bethany and I hadn’t exactly been keeping a low profile, which really could be a good thing, I thought. Or not… “He’s going to go ballistic, isn’t he?” I finally said.

“Positively postal,” Bethany agreed, biting her lip. “But you have to tell him, and give him a chance to arrange things.”

“I wanted to ask him if there’s been any reaction to our night out over the weekend, anyway,” I said. She and I had talked about it, if we’d been seen at Ballare or not, and if the fans _were_ talking about us, what were they saying? About us? About her?

I let out a sigh, and Jay and Clarice finally joined us. I’m sure they’d been having their own, probably quite similar discussion, and as they flopped down onto the bench across from Bethany and me, we all just took a moment to study each other. I chuckled to myself when I realized that they were almost exact opposite mirrors of Bethany and me: Clarice was giddy with excitement and elation, and Jay looked like someone had smacked him between the eyes with a hammer.

“So, what do you think about this cluster-fuck?” Jay said, his voice dazed and breaking. “Are we gonna do this or what?”

“Yes, I rather think we are,” Bethany surprised me by saying, and Clarice and I laughed when Jay did a face palm.

“Good grief,” he whispered, and then we all laughed.

Once again, Bethany had surprised me, bringing me joy with her spontaneity. I couldn’t wait to make her my wife, for us to be together, and now, it looked like it would be sooner than I’d dare to hope.

Bless me and my big mouth. And bless Jennifer. Good lord.


	57. Bethany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing this story, and while I know how it ends, I’m not really in a hurry to get there, other than I feel guilty when I take time to write something else. Oh well. Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 57, Bethany

Oh god oh god oh god… I was getting married. In five blasted weeks. How could we possibly arrange everything in that short of time? I didn’t know, but I would have to have faith and trust in miracles, because I knew that I did not want to be the one responsible for taking this joy away from Tom. As we went back to filming after lunch, the man was incandescent, and I knew it was because I had agreed to the wedding. That such a simple thing would mean so much to him… No, surely, we could make this work. To keep him this happy – what was a small thing, such as a practically impromptu wedding, when the results were so stellar?

Heading for our trailer after filming wrapped for the day, my mind was racing. “We need to call all of our family and friends,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. “There’s really no time for invitations and all that, so it’s going to have to be a verbal invite.”

“Danny says there’s budget for the reception,” Tom said helpfully. “That was something they knew they were going to have to spring for anyway. A cake, champagne, light refreshments… He showed me the list.”

“And of course, we won’t need a photographer,” Jay said dazedly. He and Clarice had caught up with Tom and me after dropping Clarice’s gear at the girls’ trailer.

“But I want my own dress,” Clarice said dreamily. “I don’t want to wear Kate’s! Although, with filming all day, I don’t know when we’re going to find time to go shopping!”

“Do you suppose there’s anyplace open in the evening?” I asked distractedly, running my hand through my hair. “Of course, there’s the weekend, too…”

“Saturday,” Clarice said firmly. “I think we should get Kate and Jennifer to go with us!”

I turned to grin at her. “That’s really kind of a great idea,” I said. “Jennifer offered to pay for my dress, that’s how this whole thing got started. Of course, I’m not going to let her, but it would still be fun to take her and Kate along.”

“Oh, I just thought of something!” Clarice said. “Do you have any close female friends that you would want for your Maid of Honor?” That took me aback. I hadn’t even thought about it.

I closed my mouth and looked at her. “Right now, _you’re_ pretty much my best girl friend,” I confessed. “There’s my sis in New York — we haven’t seen each other for a couple of years, but she’s still my sis. But my best friend Lance would look totally silly in a Maid of Honor gown!”

That had Tom laughing his funny laugh. “That’s for damn sure!” he said, wiping his eyes. “What about Lissa?’’

“To tell you the truth, I was kinda hoping Danny might let the band do the reception. Lissa was a good friend when we were kids, but we haven’t been in contact for a while,” I mused.

“No,” Clarice said. “Listen, what I was thinking was, maybe we should have Kate and Jennifer as our Matron and Maid of Honor.”

“Wow,” I said, struck by the odd way that that somehow seemed completely right. “Yeah… we can all shop for our dresses at the same time!”

“Do you know for sure that Danny and Davy aren’t going for historical accuracy here?” Tom asked apologetically. “Before you get too attached to the idea, you know…”

“Davy told us that it could totally be up to us,” Jay said. “They just don’t have the budget to dictate, and since we’ll be paying for it ourselves, we can have what we want.”

“Did they say: do they care what colors?” I asked, my mind racing.

“He mentioned that theirs were blue and green,” Clarice said. “Evelyn and Danny were blue, and Heather and Davy were green. But, he said we could do what we want.”

“I don’t think Tom would mind blue,” I said, smirking, looking at him in his navy suit with light blue dress shirt and blue striped tie, that he’d worn for the last scene we’d filmed that day. We had arrived at our trailer, and Tom was just coming back out, after having dropped my bag inside.

“What?” he said, when he noticed us all looking at him, and we all laughed.

“Oh, nothing,” I said, wrapping both my arms around one of his as we began walking to the curb where our little shuttle back to the inn was waiting. “I just said, I didn’t think you’d mind if our attendants wore blue.”

“No, blue would be OK,” he said, sound distracted.

“What are you thinking, Tom?” I asked, my voice low, as I was practically sitting in his lap in the shuttle.

He sighed and dropped a kiss on my hair, rubbing his cheek against the top of my head, before pulling away, avoiding making eye contact with me.

“Tom,” I cajoled, putting my hand on his cheek and turning him to face me. “What is it, baby?”

He pouted, his expression adorable. “I’m afraid to call Luke,” he confessed in a small voice. “There’s so much to tell him. The wedding, the baby…” He paused, biting his lip. “Could we make it a conference call? Would you help me tell him?”

I couldn’t help the slow, loving smile that l knew was spreading over my face. How had I gotten so lucky as to have this sweet, sensitive dork of a man fall in love with me? “Of course I will!” I said, cuddling against him.

We had arrived at the inn. “So many phone calls to make,” Jay said, helping Clarice out of the shuttle. He took her hand, and flipped Tom and I a little salute as he led her inside.

“That’s for damn sure,” I said under my breath, as Tom and I followed them.

When Tom and I got to our room, we both changed into jeans and tee shirts, before flopping down together on the bed. “I don’t even know where to start,” I said, frustrated, blowing out a puff of air that stirred the hair against my temples.

“Let’s make a list,” Tom said, getting a small notebook and a pen. “Let’s see, there’s mum and Emma, Sarah, dad, Chris and Elsa, Ben…”

“Luke,” I said firmly. “Lance. Mum and dad, Ez, and Mal, Daniel, and Rebekah, Lissa and John and the band…”

We went back and forth, Tom writing it all down, sometimes pausing so that I could spell the names, and forty-five minutes later, we had a list of over three hundred names!

“Well, the good news is, not all of these people will be able to come on such short notice,” Tom said, biting his lip and running a hand through his hair. “I think I’ll take a photo of this and text it to Em. I bet I could sweet-talk her and mum into making most of my calls for me.”

“You’re so brilliant!” I said, leaning up to kiss him. We were lying on the bed, with my head pillowed against his chest, whilest he wrote in his notebook. “I’m sure Lance would make a lot of mine, and maybe Ez.” Because he is my favorite brother!

I forced myself to pull away from him, sitting up and looking at him with an expression of regret. I bit my lip. “I’m sorry, Tom,” I said in a small voice. “It’s really time to call Luke now…”

Tom sat up, heaving a heavy sigh. “All right,” he said, sounding so put upon and long suffering. “I suppose you’re right.” He dug into his pocket, pulling out his phone. “But I’m putting it on speaker, right?” he asked, his voice plaintive.

I nodded, exasperated. “Yes, Tom,” I said, rolling my eyes.

He pulled up Luke’s number and hit send, setting the phone on the bed between us.

“If we’re lucky, maybe Lance will be with him,” I murmured, taking his hand as the phone started to ring at the other end.

“Hello,” came Luke’s voice from the phone speaker. “It’s about time I heard from you, Tom. I was about to come over there myself!” Yup, Luke was ticked all right.

“Well, um, we have a lot to talk about,” Tom said hesitantly.

“Yes, well, you and Bethany at some dance club are all over the internet. You were out with Baruchel and his fiancée?”

“We were, yeah, over the weekend,” Tom said. “How’s it look?”

Luke made a sound like clicking his tongue. I looked at Tom questioningly, my brows raised. He nodded, and then Luke spoke.

“They like her,” Luke said, sounding surprised. “She sang, or something?”

“Yeah, the band leader is an old friend,” Tom said. “They used to perform together in school.”

“Well, the fans love it, Tom,” Luke said.

“Oh, I’m so glad!” I blurted out.

“I’m on speaker?” Luke asked, wryly. “I guess I’m not surprised.”

“It’s just that we have a couple of fantastic things to tell you,” Tom said earnestly. “And I wanted us to tell you together.”

“Oh, Tom, what have you gotten yourself into now?” Luke asked resignedly. “Bethany, you tell me. I so just don’t trust Tom to really tell me the truth when gets like this.” He chuckled, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Well, Luke, are you sitting down?” l asked. There was a shuffling sound, and Luke made a little sound like ‘oof.’

“What should we tell him first, Tom?” I whispered. “Wedding, or baby?”

“Wedding first, then baby,” Tom said quietly, sounding positive.

“Are you sure?” I asked, whispering again.

“Yes!” he said loudly.

“OK,” I said. “Uh, Luke, you’re sitting?”

“Yes, Bethany, I’m bloody sitting,” Luke answered impatiently. “What is it? Tell me now!”

“We’re getting married!” I said bluntly.

“Yes, I know that,” Luke said patiently, and for some reason, I felt like a little girl.

“In five weeks’ time,” Tom added helpfully. “As part of the film.”

Luke was silent for fully a minute, maybe a little longer. I could hear him breathing, but he didn’t say a word. Finally, he spoke, his voice so measured, calm, and even. “What are you saying, Tom? How long have you known about this?”

“It all happened today,” I said quickly. “It’s kind of a long story. It’s for the movie, but then someone gave the producer the idea to make it real, to save money for the film, and just because… well…”

“Oh my god, what else?” Luke burst out. “What are you not telling me?” He paused, sighing heavily, and I figured he was thinking, trying to decide what to do. I don’t know him very well, but I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.

Finally, he spoke. “You know what; I want to see your faces, both of you. Hang up, and let’s face time. Now.” It wasn’t a request.

“Let me fetch my iPad,” Tom said conciliatorily. “Give us just a minute.”

“I’ll give you five,” Luke snapped, and rang off.

“Oh dear,” Tom said. “It’s going to be worse when he can actually see us. Do you think?”

“I don’t know, Tom,” I said doubtfully. “Um, you know him a lot better than I do.”

“Well, I’d better go get the iPad,” he said, standing and fetching it from his bag where he’d left it. He pulled up the app and sent the connection request, and Luke picked up right away.

“All right,” Luke said, eying us with lips pursed. “I’ve got time. Start at the beginning, and tell me the whole thing.” Tom and I looked at each other, and then, we both focused on Luke.

“So, Luke, you see…” Tom began to tell the story, and he started pretty much at the beginning, with exactly how low-budget this film really was, that the actors were wearing their own clothes as costumes; to how obnoxious Jennifer had been at the beginning, and how she’d done almost a complete turnaround. Tom confessed, that, as usual, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and when she’d pumped him for information, he’d candidly spilled everything he’d been thinking and feeling about him and me to her, Jennifer. To do him credit, Luke just sat there listening, watching both our faces, and I shifted my gaze from Luke, who was poker-faced and giving nothing away, to Tom, who was in full puppy-eyes mode, speaking so earnestly to Luke, with an occasional glance in my direction. At some point, Tom had reached out for my hand, and was squeezing gently in rhythm with his words.

And now, Tom’s story was winding down. “So, the last big scene we still have to film is the double-wedding scene,” Tom said. “Jay and I are wearing our own tuxes, and Kate was going to wear her own wedding gown, but Jennifer isn’t married, and doesn’t own one. She said she’d buy one for Bethany, if the wedding could be real, if Bethany and I could marry in actuality as the scene is filmed. I shouldn’t have said so much to Jennifer about how eager I am to make Bethany my wife…” his words dried up and stopped.

After a moment, Luke lifted an eyebrow, and asked, “Is that all? It’s not, is it?”

“Bethany…” Tom said, looking at me helplessly, and I knew it was my turn. I swallowed hard, then began.

“Davy, the producer,” I said, “really likes the idea, so the director, Danny, approached us today. Luke, we’d really like to do it,” I said, looking him directly in the eye. “What a story to tell our children and grandchildren!” I said. “The reception is in the film’s budget, and they’re allowing us to do it however we want. Jay and his fiancée, Clarice, are in, too, so it will be an actual double wedding, just like Danny and Davy had.” I paused to take a deep breath, looking at Tom with a question on my face. He smiled tenderly and nodded, and I squared my shoulders, looking back at Luke.

“And, it turns out, we have a reason to want to get married sooner, rather than later,” I said bravely. “We could wait til after the filming is done, but this way, it will be as soon as we could possibly arrange it, and we won’t have to wait any longer. Because, you see, Luke…”

“Bethany is pregnant! “ Tom crowed.

Yes, that.


	58. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So, since Tom and Bethany are together the whole time, I decided to advance the story, rather than go over the same events, with this chapter. I still got to get inside Tom’s head and express some of his thoughts and feelings. And, I know I’m definitely going to have to write a Jay/Clarice chapter! Maybe they will each need their own! Thank you for reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 58, Tom

Luke’s face, when I blurted out that Bethany was pregnant, was absolutely priceless. As was Lance’s, when he jumped into range of the iPad.

“What?” he gulped.

“Have you been there the whole time?” Bethany asked indignantly.

“Um, yes,” Lance began. “But, Bethany when? How?”

I couldn’t help it, I chuckled. “How is the usual way,” I said smugly. “The when is only a few weeks.”

“You’ve only _known_ each other for a few weeks,” Luke snapped. “What did you do, unleash the super sperm the instant you met her?”

Bethany was holding her face in her hands, and I suddenly realized how very deeply disturbing this conversation was becoming for her.

“There was a letter from the doctor, in that packet of post you forwarded on, Lance,” I said quietly. “Apparently, there was a mix up at the pharmaceutical manufacturers, a small problem with the birth control pills that Bethany is on. Because of us being here in Cambridge, the letter was delayed, as you know. By the time it reached us here, it was already too late. But I want this child, and Bethany does, too.” I looked to her for confirmation, and when she nodded and grabbed my hand, squeezing it, my heart soared. “So, now we have reason to want to marry as soon as possible. Danny and Davy have presented this opportunity, and we are excited to take it.”

Bethany swallowed hard, and braced herself bravely. “Tom and I are agreed,” she said with a touch of defiance. “We haven’t told Danny and Davy yet, because I am insisting on us waiting until tomorrow, because we need you to tell us if you think it can be done.”

“Let me see if I’ve got this right,” Lance said, spreading his hands in front of him. “Your wedding would be filmed, and would actually be part of the movie? Bethany, you’d basically be playing Tom’s character’s wife?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding rapidly. “I’d be playing the same character that Jennifer is playing for the rest of the film. It’s just that, for this one scene, the wedding scene, it would be me, instead of her, and it would be our real, actual wedding.”

Lance looked at Luke and actually reached for his hand. “You have to admit, love, that is really romantic,” he said to him, and the look they exchanged was of a private nature, and it made me feel uncomfortably voyeuristic. “And since they’re expecting…”

“So, what do you say, mate?” I asked, interrupting, looking at Luke through the screen of my iPad. “Can we make it work?”

Luke rubbed the back his head. “Let me think a minute,” he said. He started ticking things off on his fingers, whilst I could see the wheels turning in his head. Finally, turning to face me, he said, “And we have five weeks for this?” He sounded as dismayed and skeptical as I knew Bethany felt.

“We’ve made guest a list,” Bethany said helpfully, holding it up to the camera. “Lance, I was hoping that between you and Ez, you could maybe contact everyone and invite them?”

I ran my hand under the neckband of my tee shirt, rubbing my throat. “I, uh, was hoping you might do the same for me, Luke,” I said, swallowing hard. “Maybe Em and mum would help…?”

Both Luke and Lance were giving us a look.

“It’s just that, we know there’s no time to post traditional paper invitations,” Bethany said diffidently. “And, with filming all day, it would be hard for us to make all the calls. But of course, we want as many of our family and friends to come as possible.”

“You know this is going to cost you extra, right?” Luke said to me, before breaking into a huge grin.

“I can do that,” Lance said, chuckling. “It will give me an excuse to call Ez. It’s gonna be fun…”

My mind was racing. It had finally dawned on me that Bethany and I had barely gone public as a couple. And now, we were basically planning on announcing our engagement, our marriage, and the birth of our first child, all at the same time. I bit my lip.

“Um, Luke, is any of this doable? I don’t just mean the wedding,” I said doubtfully. “I mean, _all_ of it.”

I’ve known Luke a long time. He knew exactly what I meant. “You mean, going from zero to sixty in thirty seconds?” he smirked. “Tom, yeah, believe it or not. I think I can make this work for you.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Really? Thank you! So, then, what’s the plan?”

“I think, first, announcing your engagement,” he said pensively. “You’ve been out as a couple, for, what, a couple of weeks? Who’s going to find it strange that’s you’re engaged after all this time.”

I gave him a look. “There’s no need for sarcasm, Luke,” I said chidingly.

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding it at all. “And then, in five weeks’ time, we’ll announce that you’ve been married in a private ceremony. No advance notice, and we’ll report it after the fact. And, there’s no need to say anything about Bethany’s pregnancy for a few months, not until it starts to become obvious.”

I nodded, relaxing a little. He made it sound totally rational, and I put my arm about Bethany’s shoulders and pulled her to me, dropping a kiss on her brow.

“We have so much to do,” she said now. “Dresses, and accessories, and attendants… The good news is, we’re told that there’s budget for the reception. Cake and champaign, napkins, and light refreshments…”

“Well, thank goodness for that!” Lance said, and we all just laughed, the tension diffused.

“Look, Luke, Lance,” I said, “we still need to call mum and Em, and Sarah, and Bethany’s family in the States…” I let my voice trail off.

“Of course,” Luke said, actually looking happy for the first time. Lance, on the other hand, was positively beaming.

“I’ll send you a copy of your engagement announcement,” Luke said. “I’ll get started on it as soon as we ring off, because, obviously, the sooner, the better.

“And you send us the guest list now, as well,” Lance said, “because we need to get started on that right away, too.”

“Yes, will do,” I said gratefully.

“And I’m going to call mum and dad, and then Ez and Mal, right away, Lance, so all you’ll have to do is coordinate with Ez, as he’ll already know,” Bethany said.

“Good,” Luke said. “Good, good. OK, well, then, let’s get to it. It’s mid-day in the States, so, let’s put this all in motion.”

“Right then,” I said. “Send us the press copy.”

We ended the facetime session, and I drew a deep breath, holding it for a moment, before letting it out slowly. “OK,” I said, relieved. “That went better than I could have hoped.”

“Bonus to actually have Lance there at the same time,” Bethany said agreeably. “So, who do we call next?”

I stroked my fingers down her cheek, then kissed her softly on the mouth. “Let’s call mum and Em and my dad first, before it gets any later, and then we can call your family in the States. I’m afraid Sarah will have to wait until tomorrow, as it’s already too late to call her with a non-emergency.”

Bethany quirked her lips. “That sounds like a perfect plan,” she said.

I pulled up the number and hit send. My mum answered right away. “Hello, Tom, so lovely to hear from you! How is Cambridge?”

“Hey, hullo, mum,” I said. “I’m here with Bethany, and we’ve got you on speaker. We have something to tell you.”

“Oh, well, that sounds ominous,” mum said, chuckling just a little. “Everything’s all right, isn’t it?”

“Yes, everything’s fine, mum,” I assured her. “The thing is, Bethany and I are getting married sooner than we originally planned. In five weeks’ time, actually …”

I broke off at her gasp. “Tom…!” she said. “How? Why?”

“I know, mum,” I said soothingly. “It’s a really long story, but the bottom line is, we’re filming the wedding as part our movie, and it will be in five weeks. We won’t have time to send out invitations, and of course, we need all of our family to be there. Luke will be making most of my calls for me, to invite everyone, and Bethany has a friend doing most of hers, but Bethany and I are calling our closest family and friends for ourselves.”

“Of course,” mum said faintly. “Have you called Emma? Or am I your first call?”

“You’re our first call, mum. Em will be next, and dad,” I said. “Then, we have to call all of Bethany’s family in America.”

I heard mum take a deep breath. “All right, well, thank you for calling me. I will make sure that I get it onto my calendar.”

“We’ll have to send out an email when we have the exact date and time,” I said. “We just want to make sure that all of our loved ones are expecting this. It’s going to be so amazing!”

“Oh, Tom, I’m so excited for you, but, dear, why the rush?” She sounded so concerned, that I turned to Bethany.

“Can I tell her?” I whispered, so that mum wouldn’t hear. “About the baby?”

Bethany nodded mutely, her eyes huge, and I kissed her gently, before saying, “Now, mum, you know we’re in love, and we were going to marry eventually, anyway, but, the thing is, well… Mum, we’re going to have a baby.”

Mum gasped again. It seemed this was her night for that. “Oh, my, Tom, you really are just full of surprises tonight! And… No, no, it’s none of my business…”

“Of course, it was an accident,” I said wryly. “A problem with Bethany’s birth control prescription, that we didn’t find out about until it was too late, because we’re in Cambridge, and Bethany wasn’t home to get her post.”

“Well, goodness, a grandbaby!” she said after a moment. “Tom, you know how much I’ve been looking forward to being a grandmother again!”

“I’m unbelievably excited about it,” I said, to answer her unasked question. “Bethany is, too.”

“Yes,” Bethany piped up, in a small voice. “I really am!”

“Well, that’s fine, then,” mum said. “I suppose I should let you get to it. I know you have quite a few calls left to make.”

“Yes, we certainly do,” I told her. “Thanks, mum. We’ll let you know exactly when. And mum,” I paused, smirking at Bethany, and she hugged me briefly. “Please don’t tell anyone about the baby. Just us getting married is going to cause enough of a stir in my fan base. We’re holding the baby for after we’re married.”

“Of course, Tom, Bethany,” she said sweetly. “Your secret is safe with me.”

We rang off, and then we called, and had virtually the same conversation with Emma, before calling my dad. Bethany hadn’t met him yet, and it was cute listening to her speak with him shyly over speakerphone. He and I have always had a wonderful, close relationship, and I could tell that he approved of her. Bethany and I had decided to go ahead and tell all of our family about the baby, and I could hear my dad shedding man tears over the thought of becoming a grandfather again. It made Bethany cry, too, and we just sat cuddling and kissing for a few minutes, before resuming our calls.

We next called Bethany’s mum and dad in central Oregon, which is eight hours behind us in time. I had never spoken with them, and Bethany’s mum was quick to tell me how much she’d enjoyed my portrayal of Loki, which had me chuckling unashamedly. When we told them about the baby, Bethany’s mum cried, too, and they were just as excited and thrilled as my family was.

Bethany’s brothers, Ezra and Malachi, the ranchers, were a little bit harder. I knew that Bethany felt extremely close to Ez, and I’m pretty sure that, had we actually been present in the same room, that he would have kicked my arse. As it was, he warned me that if I ‘played fast and loose’ with his beloved baby sister, that he would personally make sure that I regretted it for the rest of my ‘unnaturally shortened life,’ or something to that effect!

Ez agreed to help make the phone calls for Bethany, and Mal gushed over being an uncle. Then they told us that we should call Rebekah next, because they felt that as Bethany’s sister, she would most be able to appreciate the news. Basically, they felt that this was a girly matter!

So, we did call ‘Beks,’ and I think that Ez and Mal were right: Beks did seem a lot more excited by the news than Daniel did, when we finally got around to calling him. He took it well, and seemed delighted for us, but I got the impression that he and Bethany were the least tight of the siblings, something that Bethany herself confirmed, after we had made all of our calls.

By the time we were finished, Bethany, who had been usually subdued, for her, was beginning to be more like her own sassy self. I sank to the floor at her feet, so that I could put my arms around her waist and press my face against her abdomen. I knew that it was too soon to feel the baby move, or to hear her heartbeat, but just knowing that she was growing in there was enough to fill me with such a joyous sense of wonder. “They know about you now,” I whispered to her, my mouth pressed right up next to Bethany’s body, and I closed my eyes as Bethany played with my hair.

“I suppose I should maybe call Chris and Elsa myself, rather than expecting Luke to do it,” I said, kissing Bethany gently, and then rising to my feet. “I rather think I’d like Chris for my Best Man. And I should call Ben. We’ve been close enough. But not til after dinner!”

Bethany glanced at her watch. “Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea it was that late! We’ve _missed_ dinner!”

“I figured we could make sandwiches,” I told her. “You know, Nathan said there’s always cold cuts, cheeses, and pbj available in the kitchen.”

Bethany grinned. “I vaguely remember hearing him say that,” she said. “Come on, Hiddleston, I’ll make you a couple.”

I took her hand, and we quickly made our way down the stairs to the kitchen.


	59. Bethany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re still reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart! It is winding down. I’m really gonna missTom and Bethany, not to mention Jay, Clarice, Luke, and Lance, when I’m done. But, I do have other stories to write! So, here you go. I hope you all enjoy. Thanks again.

Chapter 59, Bethany

I don’t think neither Tom nor I was surprised to find Jay and Clarice there ahead of us (they always seemed to beat us!), sitting in the dining room eating sandwiches, cheese, and fruit, and talking about the wedding.

“Well, how’d it go for you?” Tom asked, once we had gathered around our usual table.

Jay ran a hand down his face. “Put it this way, I’m glad this thing is one of the last things we’re going to shoot, because I’m afraid it’s gonna be a media circus. I’ve told all my friends that this is a closed set, but they all want to be here with me, and, let’s face it, I have a lot of high profile friends. Franco and Jonah Hill are coming, and Seth Rogan is gonna be my Best Man. Those guys always have paparazzi following them. The good news is, my PR team is delighted.”

“I still haven’t asked my Best Man yet, but I’m sure he’ll say yes,” Tom said. “I’m pretty sure he’s available, from what he said the last time he and I talked.”

“I know we talked about having Kate and Jennifer as our Matron and Maid of Honor, but I really think I’d rather have Tom’s sister, Emma,” I said quietly now. What Jennifer had done for us was very sweet, but since this was now my actual wedding, I really wanted my Maid of Honor to be someone I genuinely cared about, and who would stay in my life in the future.

“I understand,” Clarice said. “Jay has a sister, too: Taylor. He’d like me to ask her.”

“Maybe Kate and Jennifer would be bridesmaids,” I said hopefully. “My sister Beks, too. Tom, do you think Sarah…?”

“How many bridesmaids do you both need?” Tom asked, frowning. “You don’t even really know Sarah, and I don’t think she’d be hurt if you didn’t ask her.”

“I think we should probably stick to two apiece,” Clarice said. “That would be four total, plus the two Maids of Honor. So Tom and Jay would each need a Best Man, and two groomsmen.”

Jay nodded. “I’ll have to ask Franco and Hill, or they’ll kill me,” he said, smirking. “You got anybody, Tom?”

“I’m going to ask Chris Hemsworth to be my Best Man.” He turned to look at me. “Do you suppose Luke and Lance would be my groomsmen?” he asked, chuckling.

“Only one way to find out,” I said with a grin. “Call them back and ask them!”

We ended up deciding to wait to call Luke and Lance, and Emma back, as it was getting late, but I called Beks, and she was clearly thrilled to be asked. I made a promise to myself that I would stay in better touch with her and the rest of my family. Tom had already started talking about making a trip across America to visit them all, but since we would be seeing them all at the wedding, I told him we didn’t need to think about it now, but I honestly think he was glad of the excuse. The man does love to travel!

Clarice and I had agreed to talk to Kate and Jennifer the next day, and I knew that, because she was working with them, that Clarice would have an easier time of it than I would. I let Tom know during the first break that I would be lunching with Jennifer, and even though he gave me a pout and the puppy eyes, I knew he understood. He gave me a gentle kiss, before returning to his places.

When lunchtime came around, he approached me briefly, pouting once more, giving me a warm hug. He nuzzled his nose in my hair, whispering “Good luck and have fun without me. I’ll miss you,” and kissing me gently. He gave me the puppy eyes again, but I knew he wouldn’t be alone, because of course he would eat with Jay and Clarice, so even though he acted lonely and sad, I knew he wasn’t being serious.

“You’re silly,” I said, pressing my face to his chest as I hugged him, before swatting him on the arse as he turned to find Jay and Clarice.

I got some food, then went to sit with Jennifer and Kate.

“You’re not ditching Tom are you?” Jenn asked, as I took a seat.

“No, of course not,” I grinned. “I just wanted to thank you, you know, for the wedding. It was really sweet of you to suggest it, and start it cooking in Davy and Danny’s heads.”

“I’m so excited that it’s actually going to happen,” she said, and she really did look excited. “Tom just talks about you nonstop, and I couldn’t help but start watching the two you together. Oh Bethany, you’re so cute! I just don’t remember the last time I’ve seen a couple more in love than the two of you!”

I know I had a silly smile on my face. It was about the nicest thing she could have said. “I was wondering… that is…” I stammered, before taking a deep breath, swallowing hard, and just blurting out, “Will you be one of my bridesmaids?”

“Oh, Bethany, that’s so sweet!” she gushed. “Honey, I’d love to!”

“Thank you!” I said. “Clarice and I are going to go shopping for our gowns on Saturday. Um, Kate, has Clarice…?"

“Yes, she asked me,” Kate confirmed, smiling the sweet way she does. “This is so exciting!”

“Oh, good, I’m glad she had a chance to ask you,” I said. “So, can you both come shopping with us on Saturday?”

“Of course,” Kate said. “It’s going to be so fun!”

“I think Tom will let me borrow the Jag,” I mused. I bit my lip, fidgeting.

“You should go sit with Tom,” Jennifer said, grinning. “I can tell you want to, and damn, who can blame you? He’s much better looking than either Kate or I, and you pine for him when you’re not together!”

“I don’t! Tell me that you’re just saying that…” I said, blushing furiously.

“No, she’s not,” Kate said, tongue in cheek. “You and he, you’re so obviously crazy for one another. Go and spend a few minutes with him!”

“Well,” I said, getting up and picking up my tray, “since you put it that way, and since it’s so obvious, if you will excuse me?”

“Go,” Jennifer said, her beautiful smile and cute dimple in evidence as she pushed me towards where Tom was sitting with Jay and Clarice.

I made my way over and slipped into the chair next to Tom’s, putting my arm around his shoulders and hugging him, before tucking my head under his chin for a moment. “Well, they’re both in,” I said. “Can I take the car on Saturday?”

He kissed the top of my head. “Of course,” he said, smirking and kissing me on the mouth.

“Five minutes, everybody!” Danny’s production assistant called, so we bussed our dishes and went back to work.

Once filming was done for the day, and we had returned to the inn, Tom and I took the last few minutes before dinner to call our Maid of Honor and Best Man. We separated; Tom went up to our room, while I stayed down in the dining room.

Emma had tears in her eyes when she agreed to stand up for me. I’d sent her a facetime request, because it felt more personal, and I was glad I had, because it was totally worth it to see her face whilst we talked.

“I just feel so close to you,” I told her. “After the time we spent together in the hospital after Tom’s accident… I’m sorry I didn’t think to ask you last night. I was just so excited and overwhelmed.”

“I could tell,” Emma said, wiping her eyes and smiling softly. “Thank you, Bethany. I can’t imagine my brother being with anyone else. You make him so happy, and I’m honored to be asked to help celebrate your perfect day.”

Once I had rung off, I went up to our room to change for dinner. Tom was just wrapping up his call with Chris when I got there.

“Hey, Chris, she’s here now,” he said, his smile for me bright. “Let me ask her.”

He held out his free hand, and took it. “I was thinking Chris and Elsa’s daughter India could be our Flower Girl,” he said hopefully, in a quiet voice to me, holding his phone away from his mouth. “I’ve known her since she was born. She’s a delightful little girl.”

I felt my face soften in a goofy grin. “I’ve seen pictures,” I admitted. “She’s adorable. That would be really amazing.”

“All right, Chris, we’re in,” Tom said into his phone. “We need India as our Flower Girl.”

I went to use the washroom, and by the time I was done, they had finished their conversation.

“We need to call Luke and Lance now,” I said, plopping down on the bed beside him. “Let’s facetime them.”

“All right, good idea,” Tom said, smiling at me, and pulling up the app on his iPad.

Luke answered right away. “What’s up, you two?” he asked, one brow raised. “Is the wedding off all ready?”

“Oh, no, to the contrary,” Tom said. “I have something important to ask you. Is Lance with you?”

“Of course,” Lance himself answered, moving next to Luke on the couch, slipping an arm around his shoulders. “What do you need from us?”

“I find that I am in need of two groomsmen for this wedding,” Tom said, smirking. “Any idea where I might find a couple of friends, who I really care about, who would be willing to stand up with Bethany and I in a few weeks’ time?”

“Oh, Tom, Bethany, oh… I just… oh…” Lance sputtered. He’d been my best friend and most solid supporter ever since my family moved to America, and he knew me well. It was pretty hard for me to discombobulate him, but with this simple request, Tom had just managed it.

“I think the answer is ‘yes,’ Tom,” Luke said wryly. “Count us both in.”

“Yay!” I said. “Thank you, guys! It’s really going to be so amazing! You’ll see!”

We rang off and I stood, turning to Tom and taking his hands, pulling him to his feet and into my embrace. I pulled his head down so that I could kiss him, and he moaned and deepened the kiss, massaging my tongue with his own before pulling away.

“I’m starved, woman,” he said. “For food, and for you, but let’s go to dinner first. And then maybe later…”

I hugged him tightly, then quickly changed into jeans and a tee shirt. “This is really happening, isn’t it?” I asked, looking at him in wonder. “And, I’m actually getting excited. Me, Miss Reasonable.”

He nuzzled his nose in my hair, before giving me one of his Tom smiles. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Bethy?” he said playfully.

As we left our room and headed downstairs to dinner, Tom took my hand. “I know you girls have a plan to shop for gowns this weekend, but there’s something else we need to shop for.”

Tom brought our joined hands up and held them in front of us. He squeezed my hand gently. “I want to get you a real ring,” he said quietly.

It didn’t make any sense at all, but somehow, him saying that made me feel sad. I loved his grandmother’s ring. “This is a real ring,” I said softly, looking at it.

“It’s not an engagement ring,” Tom said. “Maybe more like a wedding ring.”

“I suppose, to honor your grandmother’s tradition, I should give it back to you on our wedding night, so that you can give it to our grandson the first time his heart gets broken, or something,” I said reluctantly. Tom had told me the beautiful story behind this ring that I wore with such love, and while I was touched by the thought of it, I really didn’t want to be parted from what I’d really come to think of as ‘my’ ring.

“Maybe I should just get you a diamond or a sapphire solitaire, and this can be our wedding band,” Tom said thoughtfully. “Would you like that?”

“Oh, Tom, really?” I asked, holding my breath.

“Why not?” Tom said, grinning. “And I think I know how you feel, because I find that I think of this,” and at this point, he held up his left hand, where my dad’s old Claddagh ring that Tom himself wore, caught the light, “as my real ring, and I don’t want to replace it with something else.” He hit me with the puppy eyes. “Would that be all right, Bethy?”

“Oh, Tom, I think that would be perfect!” I said, hugging him, before we turned and went into the dining room.

Jay and Clarice were there ahead of us, the way they always seemed to be, sitting at our usual table, and as we went through the buffet line and helped ourselves to another delicious meal, Jay waved at us. “Did you guys get everything settled?” he asked, as Tom and I took our seats.

“Pretty much,” I said, smirking. “Jennifer and my sister Rebekah are my Bridesmaids, and Tom’s sister Emma — you met her in the hospital, Jay — is my Maid of Honor.”

“I’ve got my publicist, Luke, and his boyfriend Lance…” Tom started.

“My best friend, Lance,” I piped up.

“As my Groomsman,” Tom continued smoothly, as if I had never interrupted. “And Chris Hemsworth as my Best Man.”

“With his little daughter – India, right? – as our Flower Girl,” I finished.

Clarice grinned. “I have Jay’s sister, Taylor, as my Maid of Honor,” she said happily. “With Kate and my cousin, Tina, as Bridesmaids.”

“We didn’t even think of a Flower Girl,” Jay said. “But, I have Seth Rogan as my Best Man, and James Franco and Jonah Hill as my groomsmen.”

Clarice groaned. “Don’t remind me,” she said, dragging a hand over her face, then sticking out her tongue. “Do you really think those guys can ever manage to be serious enough to be in a wedding? There was total pandemonium on the set of the movie This Is The End, all the time with you guys.” And she rolled her eyes.

Jay pursed his lips, and I swear, he gave the Jay Baruchel version of puppy eyes, which I saw was quite effective on Clarice, as she pretty much melted. “They’ll do it for me, Reecy,” he said softly. “‘Cause they love me. And they know that I love you.”

“And I love you, you big goof,” Clarice said, and kissed him.


	60. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, this chapter is really long (yup, it’s a Tom chapter, ehehehe…). Enjoy!

Chapter 60, Tom

When we got downstairs, we were able to join Jay and Clarice, who had had the same idea as we had. Of course, all we could talk about was the wedding.

“Well, how’d it go for you?” I asked, once Bethany and I had made ourselves some ham and cheese sandwiches and gotten some fruit and other foods from the kitchen, and joined them.

Jay ruefully rubbed his face. “Put it this way, I’m glad this thing is one of the last things we’re going to shoot, because I’m afraid it’s gonna be a media circus. I’ve told all my friends that this is a closed set, but they all want to be here with me, and, let’s face it, I have a lot of high profile friends. Franco, and Jonah Hill are coming, and Seth Rogan is gonna be my Best Man. Those guys always have paparazzi following them. The good news is, my PR team is delighted.”

“I still haven’t asked my Best Man yet, but I’m sure he’ll say yes,” I admitted. “I’m pretty sure he’s available, from what he said the last time he and I talked.”

“I know we talked about having Kate and Jennifer as our Matron and Maid of Honor, but I really think I’d rather have Tom’s sister, Emma,” Bethany said now, surprising me. I knew that they had spent quite a bit of time together in the hospital after my accident; most of the time they were pretty much alone together, since I was mostly out of it during this time, and mum was busy fussing over me. But somehow, her saying this now really touched me.

“I understand,” Clarice agreed. “Jay has a sister, too: Taylor. He’d like me to ask her.”

“Maybe Kate and Jennifer would be bridesmaids,” Bethany said hopefully. “My sister Beks, too. Tom, do you think Sarah…?”

Really? Poor Bethany, she was trying too hard. That wasn’t necessary, and I was quick to tell her. “How many bridesmaids do you both need?” I asked. “You don’t even really know Sarah, and I don’t think she’d be hurt if you didn’t ask her.”

“I think we should probably stick to two apiece,” Clarice said. “That would be four total, plus the two Maids of Honor. So Tom and Jay would each need a Best Man, and two groomsmen.”

Jay nodded. “I’ll have to ask Franco and Hill, or they’ll kill me,” he said, smirking. “You got anybody, Tom?”

“I’m going to ask Chris Hemsworth to be my Best Man,” I said proudly, glad that I could call such a man my friend. I hadn’t even thought about groomsmen, though. There was Sarah’s husband, I suppose, who, quite frankly, I didn’t know very well; Benedict Cumberbatch, maybe; he was a good friend… Then, it came to me. “Do you suppose Luke and Lance would be my groomsmen?” I asked, chuckling.

“Only one way to find out,” Bethany said with a grin. “Call them back and ask them!”

Well, that was something that would have to wait, as it was a bit too late to be calling after we had finished eating, although Bethany was able to call her sister Rebekah in New York. I was actually quite excited at the thought of having family in America. What a wonderful excuse to make a trip there, and Bethany’s family was literally spread from coast to coast, from New York to Oregon, and Chicago in between. I think Bethany understood some of my true motivation when I mentioned that I thought we should make time to visit all of her family. But what can I say? Road trip! I really do love traveling!

The feeling on set the next day was vaguely electric, after Jay and I informed Danny and Davy that the four of us had decided to take them up on the wedding. Everyone involved with the film was suddenly part of our actual marriage ceremony, and as Danny announced it during morning briefing, we were all at once the object of everyone’s congratulations and best wishes. It was exciting and exhilarating, and after a while, almost seemed surreal.

I knew Bethany wanted to ask Jennifer to be one of her Bridesmaids, so I wasn’t too terribly surprised when she told me during the first break that she wanted to take her lunch with Jennifer. Even though I understood, I couldn’t help sighing wistfully about it. I kissed her, then went back to my places.

By the time lunch came, I was more than ready to take a break. Now that everyone knew, it was finally beginning to sink in. My face wanted to live in the goofy grin that was my default expression, and as Danny had to keep reminding me to school my expression, he was getting a little short with me by the time we broke.

I went to join Bethany, my lips twisting when I remembered that she would be lunching with Jennifer. I pulled her to me, unable to keep myself from hugging her. I buried my face in her hair, whispering, “Good luck and have fun without me. I’ll miss you,” and kissing her gently.

I must have looked pathetic, because Bethany squeezed me, cuddling her face against me. “You’re silly,” she said, swatting me on the arse as I turned to find Jay and Clarice to sit with.

“So, how’s she taking it, really?” Clarice asked me, one brow raised, as I sat in a chair across from her.

“You know, surprisingly well,” I said, allowing my delight to show. “I actually think she’s looking forward to it as much as I am, maybe more so.”

“That’s the impression I’ve gotten, too,” Jay agreed. “She’s been unusually chatty, for Bethany. And, she’s almost… giddy, I guess I’d say.”

“Well, I’d bet part of that is hormones,” Clarice said. “Pregnant, you know.”

Yes, I did know! I’m sure the smile that lit my face was worth several thousand mega-watts.

I had my back to where Bethany was sitting with Kate and Jennifer, so it was a bit of a surprise when she plopped down onto the chair next to mine, hugging me about the shoulders with one arm and nuzzling her face against my chest. I dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“Well, they’re both in,” she said, pulling away and looking at me with wide eyes. “Can I take the car on Saturday?”

“Of course,” I said, grinning, pulling her close and kissing her on the mouth.

And then, “Five minutes, everybody!” Danny’s production assistant called, so after a quick touch up, we were back at it.

The rest of the day’s filming passed rapidly after that. Taking the shuttle back to the inn with Jay and Clarice, Bethany talked about how we still had a few calls to make. She stayed downstairs in the dining room to call Em, while I went up to our room to call Chris Hemsworth, to ask him to be my Best Man. I was fairly sure that his answer would be yes, so this felt like merely a formality.

“Hullo, Chris, it’s Tom. How are you, mate?” I said, once Chris had picked up.

“Oh, I’m good, Tom, good,” Chris said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Saw photos of you on the telly. I hear congratulations are in order? You’re finally getting married?”

“That’s actually what I’m calling about, Chris,” I said, pleased to have such an easy opening. “Yes, Bethany — that’s her name – and I, we’re getting married, in like, five weeks’ time. And, of course, I want you for my Best Man.”

“Oh, hey, Tom, I’d be honored,” he said, chuckling.

“Don’t pretend you’re surprised,” I said wryly.

“No, well, no, I’m not much, I guess,” he said modestly. “So, Tom, India saw your pictures, too, and she likes the pretty lady very much. When Elsa and I explained that you were getting married, she got it into her head that she should be your Flower Girl.”

He sounded mildly embarrassed and apologetic, but of course, I immediately thought that it was a brilliant idea. “Of course, I’ll have to talk to Bethany, but I think that it’s a fantastic idea!”

Just then, the door opened and Bethany came in, evidently done talking with my sister.

“Hey, Chris, she’s here now,” I said, and I know that I lit up when I saw her. “Let me ask her.”

I gestured towards her, and she came and sat down on the bed beside me, taking my hand. I squeezed hers gently, and held my phone away from my mouth. “I was thinking Chris and Elsa’s daughter India could be our Flower Girl,” I said quietly, so that only she would hear. “I’ve known her since she was born. She’s a delightful little girl.”

Bethany grinned. “I’ve seen pictures,” she said softly. “She’s adorable. That would be really amazing.”

“All right, Chris, we’re in,” I said, to Chris through the phone. “We need India as our Flower Girl.”

Bethany stood, dropping a kiss on top of my head, and went to the washroom.

“So, Tom, you love this girl, eh?” Chris asked.

“You have no idea,” I said wryly. “It’s been fast and intense, and I haven’t been sure whether I was coming or going half the time! But, I’m so happy, mate…”

Chris is an incredible person, someone else with whom I had bonded instantly, so I knew that he would understand and believe me when I told him how much I had come to love Bethany in the short time I’d known her. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother, and in fact, I’ve been made an honorary Hemsworth and adopted into their clan. I made a split-second decision.

“Hey, Chris?” I asked tentatively.

“Yeah, Tom, what is it, mate?” he asked, no doubt hearing an odd note in my voice.

“You can tell this to Elsa, but please don’t say anything to anyone else,” I said, holding in my excitement.

“You’re scaring me, man,” he said worriedly. “Is there anything wrong?”

“No!” I said gleefully. “Chris, we’re pregnant. Bethany’s carrying our child.”

Chris laughed out loud. “Tom, that is wonderful. I know how thrilled you must be!”

“Well, you do know it,” I said. “But, remember, we’re keeping it quiet til after the wedding.”

“Of course,” he said, still chuckling. “I don’t know a thing!”

“Aah, I gotta go, mate, but thanks for saying you’ll be my Best Man!” I said, hearing the toilet flush and the water in the sink start to running.

“You bet, Tom,” Chris replied. “See you soon.”

“Yes, you certainly will!” I said, and we rang off.

Bethany came back out of the washroom, sitting down beside me on the bed once more. “We need to call Luke and Lance now,” she said. “Let’s facetime them.”

I never would have thought of that, even though it seemed so obvious. “All right, good idea,” I said, getting my iPad and initiating the connection.

Luke answered right away. “What’s up, you two?” he asked, one brow raised. “Is the wedding off all ready?”

Luke is my publicist; I pay him. I get that, but, I always think of him as my friend as well. And yet, sometimes I really wonder, with some of the things he says! So outrageous!

“Oh, no, to the contrary,” I answered him. “I have something important to ask you. Is Lance with you?”

Lance appeared on the screen, scooting over next to Luke on the couch, giving Luke’s shoulders a squeeze. “Of course,” he said, grinning. “What do you need from us?”

I couldn’t help remembering the first time I had ever met him. After insulting Bethany so badly on our first date, that she had walked out of the restaurant, even though I had driven and she was effectively stranded, I had used my friendship with Danny to obtain her address, and had driven over to her flat, where the door had been opened by this man: Lance, 6’ 5”, almost 300 solid pounds, no flab on him anywhere, and he’d lied with a smile on his face, telling me that Bethany wasn’t home, even though I had clearly heard her calling that I should fuck off. I knew that Bethany loved him like another brother.

I actually felt a great deal of pleasure when I said, “I find that I am in need of two groomsmen for this wedding. Any idea where I might find a couple of friends, who I really care about, who would be willing to stand up with Bethany and me in a few weeks’ time?”

“Oh, Tom, Bethany, oh… I just… oh…” Lance stammered. Luke was coolly amused, but Lance was completely flabbergasted.

“I think the answer is ‘yes,’ Tom,” Luke said wryly. “Count us both in.”

“Yay!” Bethany said, clearly elated. “Thank you, guys! It’s really going to be so amazing! You’ll see!”

“I can’t wait,” Lance said excitedly, and he and Bethany started gushing about wedding gowns and Bridesmaids’ dresses. I confess, I was beginning to zone out, when Luke said, “All right, it’s exciting! But, it’s getting late, and we have dinner reservations.”

“That’s right,” Lance said sheepishly. “Sorry, babe, we will definitely talk about this more later!”

“Thank you, Lance,” Bethany said, her eyes suspiciously moist. “And you, too, Luke. It means a lot to both Tom and I.”

After another round of thank yous and goodbyes, we ended our call.

Bethany pulled me to my feet and hugged me, tugging my head down so that she could kiss me. As ever, it immediately woke up my cock, and I parted her lips with my tongue and deepened the kiss. But, Luke had a point: it was dinner time.

“I’m starved, woman,” I said jokingly. “For food, and for you, but let’s go to dinner first. And then maybe later…” Oh, yes.

Bethany gave me another hug, then quickly changed into jeans and a tee shirt.

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” she asked, gazing up at me, her eyes wide. “And, I’m actually getting excited. Me, Miss Reasonable.”

Music to my ears! I nuzzled my nose against the top of her head, then gave her a grin. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Bethy?” I asked playfully.

I took her left hand in my right as we head downstairs to dinner. “I know you girls have a plan to shop for gowns this weekend, but there’s something else we need to shop for.”

I lifted up her left hand, where she wore my grandmother’s hope ring. I squeezed gently. “I want to get you a real ring,” I said softly.

I was surprised to see Bethany looking sad. I hoped she wasn’t going to tell me she didn’t want to wear a ring after all. I don’t think I’m obnoxiously possessive, but I did want that tangible sign that she belonged to me!

“This is a real ring,” she said almost inaudibly, looking at it and actually pouting.

Well, of course it was a real ring, but I wanted her to have a proper engagement ring, and grandmother’s ring was just a band. Bethany knew the story behind how it had come to me; I hadn’t even stopped to think that that very story probably made the thing even more precious to her. “It’s not an engagement ring,” I finally said. But, “Maybe more like a wedding ring.”

“I suppose, to honor your grandmother’s tradition, I should give it back to you on our wedding night, so that you can give it to our grandson the first time his heart gets broken, or something,” she said, sounding unbelievably sad. All right, so then, change of plans.

“Maybe I should just get you a diamond or a sapphire solitaire, and this can be our wedding band,” I said, because, in that instant, I realized what I had been trying to ask her to do. I made a fist with my left hand. I was wearing what was supposed to be a temporary ring, too. I suddenly found that the idea of giving up this ring I was wearing was quite disturbing. “Would you like that?”

“Oh, Tom, really?” she asked, sounding breathless.

“Why not?” I said happily. “And I think I know how you feel, because I find that I think of this as my real ring, and I don’t want to replace it with something else,” I said, showing her my ring that she had put on my finger. “Would that be all right, Bethy?”

“Oh, Tom, I think that would be perfect!” she said, giving me a hug as we walked into the dining room.

We saw Jay and Clarice, so we helped ourselves to food and then went to join them. Jay waved as we approached.

“Did you guys get everything settled?” he asked, as Bethany and I sat down.

“Pretty much,” Bethany said, grinning. “Jennifer and my sister Rebekah are my Bridesmaids, and Tom’s sister Emma — you met her in the hospital, Jay — is my Maid of Honor.”

“I’ve got my publicist, Luke, and his boyfriend Lance…” I began.

“My best friend, Lance,” Bethany interrupted.

“As my Groomsman,” I finished. “And Chris Hemsworth as my Best Man.”

“With his little daughter – India, right? – as our Flower Girl,” Bethany said, sounding all gooey, the way women do over little ones.

Clarice grinned. “I have Jay’s sister, Taylor, as my Maid of Honor,” she said happily. “With Kate and my cousin, Tina, as Bridesmaids.”

“We didn’t even think of a Flower Girl,” Jay said. “But, I have Seth Rogan as my Best Man, and James Franco and Jonah Hill as my Groomsmen.”

I couldn’t even imagine! While it’s true, I do find them tremendously funny, I wondered what kind of trouble they would get themselves up to. How crazy would it be on set with those fellows around?

Evidently, Clarice agreed with me, because she groaned. “Don’t remind me,” she said, dragging a hand over her face, then sticking out her tongue. “Do you really think those guys can ever manage to be serious enough to be in a wedding? There was total pandemonium on the set of the movie This Is The End, all the time with you guys.” And she rolled her eyes.

Jay pursed his lips, looking contrite, pleading with Clarice, with his eyes. I couldn’t help a quiet chuckle, watching the effect it had on her. My man Jay has skills, as they would say in America. “They’ll do it for me, Reecy,” he said softly. “‘Cause they love me. And they know that I love you.”

“And I love you, you big goof,” Clarice said, and kissed him.


	61. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, here’s the next installment of this, my epic! Is it OK is I love Bethany? I love Tom, Clarice, and Jay, too… Yup.
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy!

Chapter 61, Bethany

Saturday morning dawned bright and fair. I couldn’t help smiling as I yawned and stretched, getting out of bed and going into the washroom to take a shower. Tom had been gone on his run for almost two hours, meaning he would return at any minute, so I wasn’t surprised to feel strong arms wrapping around me from behind as I washed my hair. He nuzzled my neck and kissed me where my neck met my shoulder.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he purred in my ear. “Mind if I join you?”

“I was hoping you would,” I said, rinsing the shampoo out of my eyes, turning in his arms and kissing him. I looped my arms around his neck and rubbed my breasts against his chest, causing my nipples to peak. Tom bent and took one into his mouth, sucking gently, then a little harder as I let out a moan. I cradled his head in my hands, holding him against me.

“Do you want me?” he murmured around my nipple.

“Oh, hell, yes, what a silly question,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, grinning, before crushing his mouth to mine. Our tongues met, massaging each other, and I gasped when I felt his fingers exploring my folds. He sucked and nipped at my neck. “You’re so wet for me, I can tell even though we’re in the shower,” he said, his voice muffled against my throat.

“I can’t wait any longer,” I said, my head tipped back and my eyes shut. “Fuck me now, Tom.”

“Oh, with pleasure, my Bethy,” he murmured, lifting one of my legs and wrapping it around his hips. He lined up his cock with my opening and eased inside. Once he was fully seated, he paused, resting his forehead against mine. “I swear, Bethany, it always feels like coming home,” he whispered.

Oh. Ohhh. My heart stopped, then began again, racing. “God, Tom, I love you so much,” I said, feeling tears in my eyes at the sweetness of it.

“Is it OK if I don’t fuck you?” he asked earnestly, gazing into my eyes. “I’d really just like to make love to you, if that’d be all right…?”

How could I possibly refuse? Wordlessly, I nodded, and he began moving in me. I wrapped my arms around him, running my palms over the smooth skin of his shoulders and back. Our breath mingled, and as he brought me closer, my hips swayed involuntarily towards him, our movements in tandem in a dance as old as time.

“I love you, Bethany,” Tom said, kissing me – an achingly sweet kiss that tipped me over. I cried out his name as I climaxed, my walls squeezing rhythmically around his cock, and he sighed as he joined me, tightening his arms around me convulsively as he came.

Slowly I lowered my foot to the shower floor, as Tom softened and slipped out of me. We held each other while our panting breathing slowed.

“Hmmm,” I said. “Time to wash?”

Tom grinned, picking up the soap. “Let me do your back,” he said.

After our shower, we dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. They always had a very nice spread: scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, piles of buttered toast, and bacon, as well as a pot of oatmeal and lots of fresh fruit. Tom and I ate leisurely, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. It was fun to just be on our own, for a change.

“So, shopping for wedding gowns today, yeah?” Tom asked, giving me the puppy eyes.

“Yes,” I said softly. “And, bridesmaids’ dresses.” Clarice and I had worried about how we were going to get dresses for Beks, Taylor, and Tina, who lived so far away. Emma had already agreed to come to Cambridge to be fitted, but it just wasn’t practical for the other three. Clarice had found our solution by calling some bridal shops. They had all assured her that if we could provide measurements, that they would be able to have the dresses ready for minimal fitting when our bridesmaids arrived, a day or two before the wedding.

“Kate and Jennifer are coming along as well?” he asked.

I nodded. “Tom, I’m so excited,” I said breathlessly.

He laughed. “I can see that. And, I can’t help but be glad!”

“Quite frankly, I don’t know how I resisted you as long as I did!” I declared. “You’re pretty much irresistible, Hiddleston! I certainly couldn’t do it now!”

He chuckled, reaching across the table, taking my hand and squeezing it gently. “Well, I hope you have a productive day!” he said. “You’ll need to, because we don’t have a lot of time for you all to find dresses, and have any necessary alterations made, before the wedding.”

“Don’t I know it?” I said nervously. “I’ve been living in fear. Hopefully, after today, some of that anxiety will be laid to rest!”

“Yes, hopefully,” he said sweetly.

“What do you have planned today, Tom?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m just going to be hanging out with Jay,” he said, rather evasively, I thought. “We might go into town,” he finished.

“Hmmm, OK. Well, I’ll miss you,” I said, wondering what he was up to.

He raised my hand to his face, rubbing the back of it against his cheek. “I’ll miss you, too,” he said quietly. “Meet back here tonight for dinner, yeah?”

“Yes,” I said, nodding. “I’m quite looking forward to a quiet night in. I’m sure I’ll be more than ready for it after shopping and trying on wedding gowns all day!”

By the time we had finished our breakfast, it was time to meet the others to go into town. I went upstairs with Tom to fetch my coat and purse, leaving him in our room with a passionate kiss that would have had me sidetracked, had Tom not been the one to call a halt.

“You don’t have time for this,” he said reluctantly, pushing me away with obvious regret.

“No, you’re right, I don’t,” I said, frowning, cupping his face in my hands and resting my forehead against his chin. “But I wish I did.” With one last chaste kiss, I drew away, and made my way back downstairs.

Kate and Clarice were already there, so when I arrived we were only missing Jennifer.

“She should be right down,” Kate said, “and then we can go and find the perfect gowns. I can’t believe you two are actually having your wedding ceremonies as part of the film.”

“I know, it seems absolutely bonkers, doesn’t it?” I said dazedly.

“I assume they’re going to have to voice-over the ceremony,” Clarice said. “I got to thinking about that last night! I don’t want to marry Davy, I want to marry Jay!”

“Wow, I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, “but you’re surely correct! And I don’t want to marry Danny, either!”

We all looked up as Jennifer came barreling down the stairs. “Am I late?” she asked breathlessly.

“Not too badly,” Clarice said, chuckling. “Come on, ladies, let’s get this show on the road!”

There are actually several bridal shops in Cambridge, but we started at Bride-All, which is the largest. Located about twenty minutes outside of Cambridge, they did have lovely dresses, but it became obvious rather quickly that they were too popular, too busy, to be able to have all of our gowns ready in time for the wedding. They kindly suggested several smaller shops, and as we got back in the Jag to go check it out, I couldn’t help experiencing a renewed case of nerves. What would we do if we couldn’t find anything that could be ready in time?

Clarice was panicking and I was trying not to, but right now, it was looking pretty bleak. Kate, bless her, took charge. “Everybody, just calm down. Relax,” she said. “We _will_ find something. We have a nice list of lovely shops to try, and we have all day. So let’s go; let’s do this thing.”

We got back in the Jag and went to the first place on our new list: a cute, small, intimate shop called The Tailor’s Cat. The saleslady assured us right away that she felt certain that they would be able to accommodate us, and I gave a sigh of relief. My eyes met Clarice’s, and I could tell she felt the same way.

Scattering to the four corners of the shop, we fished through racks and racks of beautiful gowns. Jennifer and Kate kept stopping to hold up dresses to show us, and finally, we had it narrowed down to around a dozen or so gowns apiece for Clarice and I to try, and a few less each for Kate and Jennifer.

We started with Kate and Jennifer. Each gown was more beautiful than the last, and finally, Clarice and I found ourselves looking at each other, goofy grins all over both of our faces. Miraculously, we both liked the same dress for our bridesmaids. It looked good on both Jennifer and Kate, and came in both of the colors that we wanted. Style-wise, I instinctively knew that it would look good on all of the girls, and I sighed in relief.

“At least there’s that,” Clarice said, unconsciously saying what I was thinking out loud.

“Are we good then?” Jennifer asked, twirling a little. “Because I actually love this!” She looked down at herself in the dress, holding the skirt out.

Kate looked at her, smirking. “I love it, too,” she said happily. “So, Clarice, Bethany, let’s get you set up, so that you can get hitched.”

I had never felt more like royalty than I did then, trying on those infinitely exquisite gowns. Yards and yard of satin, tulle, and lace, and yet, I wondered for one, brief moment what I, Bethany Murrow, was doing there? Was I really thinking I could get married on camera, be part of a fairy tale this way? Who did I think I was? And did I really think that I could marry a man like the fabulous Tom Hiddleston? The man is an icon. He’s famous. And who was I? Just a blue collar girl, who knew instinctively what to do to make others look good, it’s true, but with not a lot of sense of her own style. And certainly, there is nothing very special about me.

Clarice must have noticed my pensiveness. “Don’t do that, Bethany,” she said warningly. “Don’t you even think about breaking that beautiful man’s heart.”

“What?” I said defensively.

“It’s written all over your face,” she said, her hands on her hips. “You’re doubting yourself, and I understand, I really do. It’s intimidating, being with men like Jay and Tom. Overwhelming. And if it was only up to you, then I’d not even say a word to you. But, remember, Tom has a choice in this too, and he’s chosen you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man be so definitive, so clear, so passionate, so _vocal_ , about his choice. That man wants you.” She pulled me into a fierce hug, as we stood there in the dressing room in our crinolines. “Now, go in there and find a gown, so that you can marry that man of your dreams, and make _him_ the happiest man on the planet.” She gave me a little push, and then turned and went into her own dressing room.

I flipped through the gowns on the racks. Clarice was right; I loved Tom, I was having his baby, and of course, I was going to marry him. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more.

But not in this dress. Or this one. Or that one…

It was impossible. None of these gowns were suitable. Awkwardly, I slumped down in a chair, despairing over my choices, my face in my hands. I looked up when there was a knock on my dressing room door, and it cracked open as Jennifer stuck her head in.

“You decent?” she said, coming in and closing the door behind her, glancing at all the gowns hanging there and shaking her head. “Ugh!” she said. “None of these are _you_! What were we thinking?”

She came up to me, eying me up and down, her head cocked to the side. “Do you trust me?” she asked, grinning.

“Um, I guess?” I said hesitantly.

“Just sit tight,” she said excitedly. “I’ll be right back!” She practically ran from the room, shutting the door with a click.

I couldn’t help it, I began pacing. I didn’t know what Jennifer was up to, but I somehow knew that she genuinely wanted to help me with this. I took a deep breath, suddenly sure that everything was not going to be only fine, it was going to be wonderful.

There was another knock on the door, and then Jennifer burst in, her arms full of gowns, which she dumped unceremoniously on a couch. “You see, we were going about this all wrong,” she said breathlessly. “We weren’t taking into consideration, who you are!”

“I’m afraid to ask,” I said wryly, suddenly afraid of where she was going with this, given our history.

I needn’t have worried.

“You are the girl that Tom Hiddleston wants,” she said simply. “The girl that he loves.”

“Yes,” I said, tears in my eyes. I straightened up to my full height, squared my shoulders, and said, “I am! Now, what do have for me?”

One glance was all I needed to confirm that Jennifer was onto something. The choices were simple, because I am simple. The fancy, ruffly, foo-foo dresses were too much; they would over-power the simple girl that I am. I grabbed up one of the gowns Jennifer had brought, sighing as it settled around my curves, draping gracefully to the floor.

“Now we’re talking,” Jennifer said, nodding and smiling.

It was actually the fifth gown that she’d brought that ended up being The One. I knew it instantly, and Jennifer knew it, too. When I left the dressing room, walking out to the gallery, there was a collective gasp among my friends. Clarice approached me, as quickly as the frothy concoction she was wearing would allow, and took me by the hands.

“You look like a princess!” she exclaimed. “You’re beautiful, Bethany. You _have_ to get this dress!”

“Yes,” I said softly. “I rather think I do!”

Everything else was anticlimactic to me. I had found my gown, but Clarice hadn’t.

It was another forty-five minutes and six more dresses, before Clarice came out in, what was for her, the perfect gown. At last, we were able to finalize our purchases, and as the four of us made our way out to the Jag, we were all of us giddy with excitement and happiness. The doors of the car clunked closed one after another, and then Kate, Jennifer, Clarice, and I gave a collective scream.

“We’re getting married!” Clarice and I yelled out together, before taking a deep breath, and I started the car and took us back to the inn, back to our men, back to our futures.


	62. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really like it when Tom and Bethany don’t spend the day together, because then I get to write about them doing different things! 
> 
> I’m dedicating this chapter to dear hallotom, because I missed her birthday! Sorry, dear! I have a fic planned just for you, it’s just going to be a belated present.

Chapter 62, Tom

Saturday morning I woke before dawn, taking my running clothes into the washroom to change, in order to avoid disturbing Bethany as much as possible. After using the toilet I washed my hands, studying myself in the mirror. My bruises had faded to a very pale yellow, the cuts and scrapes all healed, with only the slightest of pink scars to show where they had been. I was almost as good as new, and I grinned at myself, thinking that I would look good at my wedding.

I had worked my way back up to a half marathon; it took me about an hour and a half, and as I ran, the sky brightened and the day dawned bright and fair, and I smiled happily to myself, thinking of how Bethany was planning on spending her day.

I began my cool down, heading back to the inn, and the thought of Bethany trying on wedding gowns, finding the one she would wear when she pledged herself to me, had me stiffening in my track pants. As I jogged casually up the steps of the inn, across the lobby and up the staircase to our room, I only got harder and harder.

I got out my key, opening our door and I instantly noticed the empty, unmade bed, and heard the shower running through the slightly-ajar washroom door. Stripping off my sweaty running clothes, I walked naked into the washroom. At this point my cock was fully erect and throbbing, and as I eyed Bethany’s misty silhouette through the shower curtain, I stroked myself slowly, holding my breath in anticipation.

When I peeled the curtain back, Bethany was washing her hair, eyes closed against the shampoo, and I got in behind her and wrapped my arms around her from behind, cupping her breasts in my hands and nuzzling the back of her neck, kissing and sucking where her neck joins her shoulder.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I murmured into her ear. “Mind if I join you?”

“I was hoping you would,” she said, rinsing the shampoo out of her face and turning in my arms, reaching up to kiss me. She slipped her arms up around my neck and flattened her breasts against my chest. I felt her nipples peak, and I pulled back and bent to suckle her, increasing the pressure when she moaned and pressed into me. I love it when she takes my head in her hands and guides me to where it pleases her most.

“Do you want me?” I mumbled around her nipple.

“Oh, hell, yes, what a silly question,” she said, panting a little.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I said with a smile, before kissing her hard. Our tongues did battle, and I slipped my fingers between her legs, loving the evidence of her desire for me and the breathy sounds she made. I nuzzled her neck some more, licking the water from her, while I continued to work her folds. “You’re so wet for me, I can tell even though we’re in the shower,” I said against her throat.

“I can’t wait any longer,” she said, moaning, her head tipped back and eyes shut. “Fuck me now, Tom.”

“Oh, with pleasure, my Bethy,” I said softly, grasping one of her legs and pulling it up to wrap it around my hips. I lined my cock with up with her opening and slowly slipped inside. As always, the feeling was amazing. I paused for a moment, resting my forehead against hers, just reveling in the sweetness. I don’t think she has any idea how much I need her. If she knew the tremendous power she holds over me… I struggled to find a way to put it into words, but it’s very simple, really. “I swear, Bethany, it always feels like coming home,” I finally said.

“Oh, god, Tom, I love you so much,” she said, and I think there were tears in her eyes. It makes me happy and – comforted – to know that she feels it, too.

My love for her overwhelmed me in that moment. I love dirty talk as much as the next man, but in this moment, I was hesitant to call what we were doing by anything less than what it actually was. “Is it OK if I don’t fuck you?” I asked wistfully, meeting her eyes. “I’d really just like to make love to you, if that’d be all right…?”

I could see how my words affected her, as her eyes widened, and silently she nodded. She pulled me close, smoothing her palms over my shoulders, pressing her cheek to mine. I moved into her gently, fully, taking the time to make sure I did it right, that I was hitting all the places that I know bring her the most pleasure. This morning, her arousal and satisfaction were what was stimulating me, and I felt almost worshipful as I felt the tension coiling inside of her as I moved in her, her breathing hitching, loving her little gasps and soft moans, her body swaying in time with mine. We fit together like it was scripted.

“I love you, Bethany,” I whispered, kissing her sweetly, and in that moment, I felt her release, her inner walls convulsing, spasming around cock, and, as she moaned out my name in ecstasy, I reached my own climax, my cock convulsing deep inside her, my arms tightening around her. I hope that she knows that I don’t intend to ever let her go.

We stood there a moment, our breathing returning to normal, our heartbeats slowing, just holding each other. I softened and slipped from within her, and she unwrapped her leg from around me, and moved deeper into my embrace.

“Hmmm. Time to wash?” she said reluctantly.

I suppose so. Busy day ahead. “Let me do your back,” I said, taking up the soap, and we washed each other before we got out.

For once, we were on our own for breakfast. I know we enjoyed being with Jay and Clarice, but we were both looking forward to being alone together this morning. The inn did a great spread: traditional English breakfast served buffet style, with scrambled eggs, bacon, buttered toast, beans, oatmeal, fresh fruit, pastries, and plenty of coffee and pots of tea. We helped ourselves, heaping our plates, then took a table that was a little more secluded than our usual one.

“So, shopping for wedding gowns today, yeah?” I asked, gazing at Bethany lovingly.

“Yes,” she said softly. “And, bridesmaids’ dresses.” I knew this had been a big concern of both hers and Clarice’s. Bethany’s sister, Rebekah, lived in New York; and Jay’s sister, Taylor, and her cousin, Tina, both lived in Montreal. I think they had worked it out to their satisfaction, because Bethany had seemed to stop fretting about it, but I was pretty sure that Kate and Jennifer were to be part of the group today, so I assumed that between the four of them, they could figure it out.

“Kate and Jennifer are coming along as well?” I asked, to confirm it.

Bethany nodded. “Tom, I’m so excited,” she said breathlessly.

What man wouldn’t feel a certain masculine pride at hearing that? It made me laugh. “I can see that,” I said. “And, I can’t help but be glad!”

“Quite frankly, I don’t know how I resisted you as long as I did!” she declared, giving me a look. “You’re pretty much irresistible, Hiddleston! I certainly couldn’t do it now!”

I laughed again, reaching across the table, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. “Well, I hope you have a productive day!” I told her. “You’ll need to, because we don’t have a lot of time for you all to find dresses, and have any necessary alterations made, before the wedding.”

“Don’t I know it?” she said anxiously. “I’ve been living in fear. Hopefully, after today, some of that anxiety will be laid to rest!”

I didn’t like to see her worry, so I put on the most encouraging expression I could. “Yes, hopefully,” I said gently.

“What do you have planned today, Tom?” she asked me.

Uh-oh. Well, I did have plans of my own, but I was keeping it secret, I’m not sure why. “Oh, I’m just going to be hanging out with Jay,” I said, sounding vague, and I knew she would pick up on it instantly. What could I say to deflect her? “We might go into town,” was what I ended up settling with.

“Hmmm, OK. Well, I’ll miss you,” she said doubtfully, and I knew she wasn’t fooled in the least. But her words were sweet, and I lifted her hand to my face, loving the feeling of her soft skin against my cheek.

“I’ll miss you, too,” I said softly. “Meet back here tonight for dinner, yeah?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I’m quite looking forward to a quiet night in. I’m sure I’ll be more than ready for it after shopping and trying on wedding gowns all day!”

Silently, I agreed. A night in would be just what we’d need after the day I suspected we would both have.

We finished breakfast and Bethany was almost manic to get going. She raced me upstairs, grabbing her coat and purse, and darting for the door. At the last minute, she turned back, looking at me with wide eyes. Grinning, I took her in my arms, and she reached up and pressed her mouth to mine. As usually happens, our lips parted and our tongues sought each other. Bethany groaned, and pushed herself deeper into my embrace, her arms tightening helplessly around my neck, fingers combing restlessly through my hair. Steeling myself, I grasped her shoulders, putting her away from me.

“You don’t have time for this,” I said regretfully.

“No, you’re right, I don’t,” she said, pouting, cupping my face in her hands, her eyes closed, pressing her forehead against my chin. “But I wish I did.”

I tipped her head back and gave her a gentle, closed-mouth kiss, swatting her behind and laughing at the expression she threw me over her shoulder, as she picked up her coat and purse from where she’d dropped them, and went to meet her friends.

I couldn’t help grinning to myself. She was so excited. To be marrying me. How could I not think of that as a good thing? And, well, it was mutual. She was the love of my life, she was carrying my child, my career was skyrocketing, and all was decidedly right with my world.

But Jay and I did have plans today, and it was time to go and start in on that adventure. I crossed the hall and knocked on Jay’s and Clarice’s door. “Is the coast clear?” I asked when he opened the door, my eyes flicking around their room.

“Yeah, she’s gone,” he said, smirking. “You know where we’re heading?”

“Of course!” I said smugly. “But I guess I’m a little surprised that you’re not better prepared.” I looked at him questioningly. “I mean, I didn’t know I was going to meet the most amazing woman and fall so irretrievably in love, but you’ve been with Clarice for a year!”

I was amused to see his cheeks turn just a little bit pink. “I knew I was going to _ask_ her to marry me,” he said defensively. “Not that I was fucking gonna _do_ it!”

I chuckled as he muttered something about at least having an engagement ring, and I clapped him on the shoulder. “I really appreciate you driving me into town,” I said.

“Least I could do,” he mumbled; I think he was still not quite happy with me. “As long as you’ve got me covered.”

“Trust me, I went to school here, and they were the place to go back then,” I said reassuringly. “I checked them out on-line. They’re still here, and we should be more than happy with their selection.”

“And you don’t think that there’s any chance of us running into the girls?” he asked, pursing his lips.

“Of course, there’s no guarantee,” I said, “but I think they were actually heading out of town.”

“That would be good,” he said, patting down his pockets and fishing out his keys. “Let’s go, then.”

We got into his little economy rental and headed into town. Our destination, Cellini Jewelers, was not too far away from the inn. I had once bought fabulously extravagant gifts for my mum and sisters there. Ah, that first big paycheck as an actor! What I considered extravagant back then was nothing compared to now, but I still felt nostalgic about it. I gave Jay directions as we drove through town, and shortly, we arrived at the shop.

Jay and I separated as soon as we got inside. Unlike him, I knew exactly what I wanted. I went to the counter and waited for the clerk to notice me.

“May I help you, sir?” the smartly dressed young man asked me, as he approached me across the display case.

“I’m meeting with a Mr. Francis,” I said crisply. When I’d called to tell them what I wanted, they were almost reluctant to speak with me. Bespoke designs were supposed to require an in-person fitting, but I was wanting to surprise Bethany, and there was absolutely no way that I wanted her to know how much I was spending. It’s not like I couldn’t afford it, and I wanted it to be perfect, and I wanted her to have it. But I knew that there was no way she would be able to accept it without fretting if she had even an inkling of what I was doing. And the solution for all this was to simply not ever let her find out.

An older, dapper gentleman approached me on my side of the counter. “Mr. Hiddleston?” he asked me, extending his hand.

“Yes,” I confirmed, taking his hand and shaking it. “I want to apologize again for being unable to have Bethany come in for her fitting, but I know you understand the reasoning behind that.”

He frowned slightly. “Yes,” he said. “It’s highly irregular, but I do understand.”

“Good,” I said. “Thank you. Is it ready, then?”

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “Come this way, please.”

He led me over to a desk in the corner, and I took one of the two chairs in front of it. “Wait here,” he said. “I’ll get it.”

He returned shortly with a small, black velvet box. He set it on the desk in front of me. “Please,” he said, gesturing at the box. “Tell me what you think.”

I held my breath as I picked up the box, hesitating just a moment before opening it.

I released my breath in a rush. “It’s magnificent,” I whispered. “Exquisite.” I lifted my eyes to his. “It’s a masterpiece, almost worthy of her. Thank you!” I’d hoped it would be. I knew Bethany’s size, and I was confident that it would fit her, but I’d had to promise Francis that I would bring her in for a fitting as soon as practically possible after the wedding. He relaxed minutely, giving me a small, satisfied smile. “I’m so glad you’re pleased,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back.

I looked up as I heard Jay gasp. He was peering over my shoulder. “Oh, man, Tom,” he said sounding awestruck. “That’s breathtaking; brilliant.”

“It is, isn’t it?” I said, feeling unaccountably smug about it. A three carat, deep brilliant blue sapphire, surrounded by a circlet of sparkling diamonds, and another smaller circle of sapphires around that, the ring was everything I had wanted it to be, everything my Bethy deserved. I rose, and smirking, I suspect, turned to look at Jay. “How about you?” I asked. “Did you find anything?”

Jay’s face softened, and he smiled gently. “Like you, I find it hard to find something that I’d deem worthy of my love, but I think she’ll be accepting of this,” he said, taking a similar box to mine out of a small bag he was holding, and presenting it to me. “Tell me what you think.”

Opening the box, I felt my breath catch. “I think you have excellent taste, Jay,” I said. “That’s what I think.” I held a box containing a band of chunky diamonds, bright white and sparkling. It did make me think of Clarice, how she was dazzling, but deep, too.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” he asked shyly, sounding like a little boy holding a hand-picked bouquet of bedraggled daisies, instead of this stunning creation I now held.

Pursing my mouth, I nodded. “Absolutely,” I said. “Not sure how she could not.”

“Good,” Jay said, relaxing. “Let’s get. I’ll really want to beat them home.”

“Me too,” I said, grinning. “For some reason, I want this to be a surprise. I don’t want Bethany to know what I’ve been up to!” I hadn’t even told Jay the real reason for the secrecy, and I didn’t intend to.

When we got to the inn, we both went up to our rooms, hiding our purchases and emerging back out into the hallway at about the same time. The girls weren’t back yet, and, quite frankly, I didn’t expect them for another two or three hours.

“Would you care for a game of table tennis?” I asked Jay, one brow raised, smiling broadly, I’m sure.

“Are you kidding? After the last time?” he said. “How about some poker instead?”

“A gentleman’s game,” I said. “You’re on!” And we went back downstairs to wait for our loves to return to us.


	63. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suspect I might piss a few people off with this chapter. Sorry, this is just the way I see things. Don’t preach at me, try to convert me, or educate me. It’s fiction! If you like it, thank you! If you don’t, then I’m sorry your time was wasted in reading it. But, I hope most of you will be happy with it. It fits the characters as I have written them.

Chapter 63, Bethany

We got back to the inn to find Tom, Jay, and some of the other male crew members in what was apparently a poker game of epic proportions. It had evidently been going on for hours, and was just beginning to wind down, when Clarice, Kate, Jennifer, and I got there. The only two men actually still playing were Tom and the young grip that Jennifer had been seeing, the rest of them having run out of chips (as that seemed to be what they were playing for; no genuine cash money had actually been exchanged, thank goodness!). I had known that Tom was competitive; I think anyone can see that, but the look on his face and the glint that was in his eye as we walked into the dining room that day – well, to be honest, it took me aback a bit.

Jennifer’s young man – I think his name was Rory – wore a similar expression, and I realized that the two of them very much resembled each other. The rest of the fellows, including Jay, were standing around and egging them on, although from the gravity of the faces, and the piles of chips on the table in front of the two of them, it was just about over. Tom looked calculating, sly, and sneaky, very Loki-like, and young Rory was actually sweating, and looked extremely nervous, and shortly after we arrived, he took one last look at the cards he was holding, swallowed hard, and then shoved the last of his small pile of chips into the center of the table. “I’m all in,” he said challengingly, his chin thrust out, staring Tom in the face.

A muscle beside Tom’s mouth twitched, and he smiled a rather evil little half smile, I thought, as he said, “Are you sure about that?” in a scary sort of voice that I’d never heard him use outside of films.

Rory’s eyes dropped and he looked his cards again. “Yes, I’m sure!” he said, a little belligerently, I thought. “You’re not going to do that to me again!”

Tom’s smile slowly changed to a very self-satisfied little smirk, definitely a ‘cat that got the canary’ expression, and he picked up a small pile of chips and tossed them into the middle of the table, laying his cards down face up, and saying, “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure.”

He hesitated for a moment, eying young Rory, who in the next instant threw his cards down in disgust, then stood abruptly, shoving his chair roughly back from the table, stalking off muttering something about the devil’s own luck.

Jennifer stifled a laugh, and said “I’d better go do damage control,” and followed him out into the hall.

The rest of the men began congratulating Tom, laughing and clapping him on the back. “That was incredible!” Jay said, a kind of awed expression on his face. When Clarice put her arm about his shoulders, he jumped, that’s how into the game he’d been. I didn’t hear what they said to each other, as I was busy trying to decide if I was proud, irritated, or amused with Tom. I’m pretty sure it was a combination of all three.

“Was that really necessary?” I asked him quietly, standing looking down on him with my arms folded across my chest.

“What?” he asked me, genuinely confused, standing and making to put his arms around me, but I drew back and began to gather up the empty glasses and bottles that the men had been using.

“Crushing that boy,” I replied, refusing to look at him. I continued tidying their mess; it was pretty much a disaster. He put his arms around me from behind, pulling me against his chest, and I froze, a stack of bowls holding nuts, crisps, and a few other snacks in my hands. He nuzzled behind my ear.

“It’s the nature of men, love,” he murmured. “He would have been unsatisfied if he even suspected that I wasn’t giving it my all.”

“He wanted to win because he’s seeing Jennifer, and he knows she used to be interested in you,” I said roughly. “She probably talks about you all the time…”

“Probably,” he admitted carelessly. “And he feels competitive over her affections. But I don’t want her. I want you.” He turned me insistently, taking the dishes out of my hand and walking them into the kitchen, returning to gather up more. “Here, let’s finish cleaning up.”

“I love you,” I said, the words bursting involuntarily from me, standing there and just watching him.

He stopped, looking at me tenderly. “He’ll be all right,” he said quietly. “Jennifer is woman enough to console him.”

“You’re so absolutely right,” I said, sighing. “How did you get to be so smart?”

“Just born this way,” he said, grinning.

With us working together, in no time we had the dirty dishes bused, the poker chips collected, and the playing cards squared away and stowed. Tom wrapped one arm around my shoulders as we turned and made our way upstairs to our room.

“Well, were you successful?” he asked me, almost shyly, as we walked along the corridor towards our door.

It took me a moment to understand what he was asking, but once I got it, I grinned broadly. “As a matter of fact, we were,” I said smugly. I looked at him sideways, out of the corner of my eye. “How about you?” I asked casually.

“Oh, yes, we were, very much…” he said eagerly, trailing off when he realized how I’d tricked him. “That wasn’t fair,” he said quietly, pouting and pulling away from me.

We’d reached our room, and he dug in his pocket for the keys, heading straight for the washroom. He shut the door smartly, and I heard the snick of the lock engaging.

“Aw, come on, Tom, don’t be that way,” I said, outside the door. I heard the toilet flush, and the water running in the sink, before the door unlocked and he came back out.

He looked at me earnestly, full-on puppy eyes. So deadly, and I melted instantly. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

“Please don’t ruin your surprise,” he said.

“All right, Tom,” I said, swallowing. “I won’t. I’ll stop.”

He wrapped one of his long arms around my shoulders, using the hand of the other to brush my hair back from my face. “We have a few hours before dinner,” he said. “What would you like to do?”

“I’m exhausted,” I said frankly, laying my lead against his shoulder and relaxing fully into his arms. “I’d like nothing more than to just lie down, and maybe read or watch the telly with you.”

“That does sound wonderful,” he said, his arms tightening about me, before he kissed me on the forehead and put his hands on my upper arms, pushing me away gently.

We both went to the bed, settling in. I had both my ereader and my tablet, and Tom had his iPad, some scripts that Luke had sent over, an adventure novel, and a well-thumbed paperback of the complete Works of Shakespeare. He went immediately for the iPad, and that gave me the excuse to get my tablet. I made the gestures that unlocked it, and then opened a browser and glancing at Tom, to make sure he was thoroughly engaged and not paying any attention to me, I typed in ‘ Tom Hiddleston fan fiction,’ and hit Enter.

A million hits. Ten million. What brought this on now? you ask. Well, on the way home from the bridal shop, we girls had got to talking; I don’t even remember how it started, but one of the others, either Kate or Jennifer, mentioned fan fiction, and Clarice asked me if I’d ever read any about Tom. When I confessed that I never had, she looked at me like I’d been living in isolation.

“I don’t know how you’ve resisted,” she said. “Although you’re probably better off not knowing, if the ones about Tom are anything like the ones about Jay. Really raunchy, with all kinds of crazy kinks involving Seth, Franco, and various farm animals…”

“Eww, really? I asked. “Maybe I _am_ better off not knowing.”

“I’m guessing Tom’s are a lot more classy,” Jennifer said from the back. “Tom is a classy guy, after all.”

That was true, and since that seed had finally been planted, the curiously had just continued to grow, until it was rather overwhelming, so now, with tablet in hand, I pulled up a fan-written story about the man I love, and started reading.

At first, I was shocked. The story I had pulled up was under the category of something called ‘Dom Tom.’ I had only a rudimentary idea of what that meant, but it didn’t take me long to discover that it was anything but realistic. Apparently, Dom Tom was a control freak, who not only liked to, but actually got aroused by, smacking women around; humiliated them for liking to have sex with him (calling them ‘slut’ and ‘whore,’ although, _he_ was perfectly justified in hooking up with all of them, and for some reason, that was all right and didn’t make him a man-whore!); tied them up in all kinds of uncomfortable positions, restraining them, which prevented intimacy; and expected them to climax or not climax on command. I was offended for a moment, but then it struck me as funny, and I started chuckling, my amusement building until I was giggling uncontrollably, and tears of mirth were rolling down my cheeks.

I was unaware for a moment that Tom was watching me curiously. “What are you reading that’s got you so amused?” he asked me, chuckling a little in sympathy.

Trying, but pretty much failing, to catch my breath, wordlessly I handed him my tablet. He glanced at it, and then began reading. After a minute or two he looked over at me with a look of distaste. “This is disgusting,” he said unhappily. “Fifty shades of Tom.”

For some reason, _that_ struck me as hilarious, and set me off in fresh paroxysms of laughter. Gradually I was able to get myself under control. “Does this mean you don’t want to tie me up and wack me, Sir?” I asked, still giggling a little.

“Maybe I would have tied you up when we first met, when you refused to admit how much you love me,” he said arrogantly.

I will admit, sometimes he does get a look on his face that might lead certain people to think he could act that way, but the reality is very far removed. For one thing, he is the world’s most generous lover. He would never think of denying me my satisfaction. He gets off on bringing me pleasure. “Can you imagine?” he said now, handing me back my tablet, unconsciously saying what I had just been thinking. “My mum and sisters would have my head if ever tried such shit. People certainly do have vivid imaginations.”

But, you know what? I am only human, and suddenly, a wicked piece of me began to wonder what it would be like. “Aren’t you ever curious?” I asked diffidently. “Do you think you’d ever want to try any of this stuff?”

“What?” he asked, outraged, pulling back from me a little. “You want me to spank you?”

“Well, no,” I said hesitantly. “But, uh, maybe… you sometimes, uh, might want to tie me up?”

“No,” he said flatly. “I can’t say as I have ever wanted to do any such thing.” He stopped when he got a look at my face.

He looked appalled. “You want me to do it!” he said accusingly.

“I’m just, uh, a little curious as to what it would be like,” I said reluctantly. “There are so many stories like this. It makes me wonder…”

“I like you touching me,” he said quietly. “I need the feeling of your hands on my body, stroking my face and clutching at my hair.”

I looked over at the bedside clock: still an hour and a half til dinner. “Could we play?” I wheedled. “Please?”

He looked at me incredulously. “You’re serious,” he said.

I nodded and rose from the bed, walking over to the closet and getting three or four of his neckties. I walked back over, removing my clothing as I went, stopping when I got down to my knickers. I handed him the neckties and held my arms out, wrists together in front of me. Keeping my eyes cast down submissively, I said, “Would you like to blindfold and tie me up, Sir?”

He was silent for a minute, and I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look up. Well, he loves me to distraction, and he genuinely is one of the best actors out there. I felt a little trepidation when I peripherally saw him slowly straighten, his whole body going rigid.

He rose from the bed and took up a necktie. “You crave subjugation, do you?” he growled, in his best Loki voice. “Very well, I can give you that.” He bound the first tie across my eyes, and I felt a little frisson of fear at having this most prominent of senses taken from me.

“Hands behind your back,” he said shortly. When I was a little slow, he barked, “Now!”

I hastened to comply, and he bound my wrists. “Now, I know that you are aware that you are to call me ‘Sir,’ he said in the same stern tones. “And I expect obedience.” Then I felt his hands on both of my shoulders, gently pushing me to the floor. “Kneel,” he snapped.

I hastened to comply, his hands guiding me, and then I heard the rustle of clothing and the rasp of his zipper. “Open,” he commanded.

I opened my mouth obediently, and then I felt the head of his cock rubbing against my lips. “Suck,” he said.

Eagerly, I stuck out my tongue, licking him teasingly, and he gripped my hair in his fists, a little more aggressively than he usually does. “I said suck!” he said angrily, shoving his cock past my lips. His fingers tightened painfully on my hair, and I winced.

He broke character immediately. I could feel his stance slumping, his cock instantly softening, and him pulling away from me as he caressed my scalp with his fingertips. “Are you all right?” he gasped.

“I’m fine, Sir,” I said softly. “Please don’t punish me.”

“Of course not,” Tom said, sounding embarrassed. “Bethany, you know I’d never… “

“But, Sir! “ I wailed. “You’ve taken your cock away!”

“Bethany…” he said hesitantly.

“Please, Sir, I want it!” I pouted and tried to look lascivious, and I heard the sliding sound of flesh against flesh, and I guessed that Tom was jerking himself. The blindfold made everything a little surreal. I wasn’t exactly frightened, but my hearing was definitely on alert. After a few moments, I felt the head of Tom’s cock brushing against my lips again.

“Suck,” he commanded again, back in character. If I ever doubted that he was a superb actor, which of course I didn’t, anyway, but if I _did_ , the next several minutes would have shown me the error of those doubts. I opened my mouth and Tom shoved his cock in. This time, he held the sides of my head, not grasping and pulling my hair. He let me move on him for a while, and I took him as deep as I could, slurping, my cheeks hollow, pulling out periodically to pay extra attention to his head.

Because of having my hands bound, my balance was off, and I wasn’t able to fondle his balls or wrap my arms around his arse the way I usually did. I think he could tell I was a little frustrated, because after a few minutes of this he began thrusting into my mouth, holding my head steady.

“Don’t move,” he practically hissed. “I’m going to fuck your mouth.”

His hands were gentle around my face as he held me still, shoving his cock between my lips and hitting the back of my throat. I know he was holding back, but I gagged anyway, and after the third or fourth time, he pulled out, growling. He pulled me to my feet by my bound wrists, untying them after I had regained my balance.

“I want you to lay down,” he ordered quietly. “I’m going to tie you to the bed.” I felt a little thrill at his words. I wasn’t sure if I was enjoying this or not, but I was glad we were at least trying it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t aroused, but it was a different kind of arousal. Tom guided me to the bed and helped me to lay down, then he tied my wrists one at a time, to the bed posts.

“Is this too tight?” he asked quietly.

“No, Sir,” I whispered, wondering what would come next. I still had on my knickers, but he pulled them off roughly.

I thought he would just fuck me then, but when I felt him at my feet, I confess to another thrill of fear. He tied my ankles, too, again asking if it was too tight, and when I once again answered no, then I lay there, naked, spread, and I heard his dark chuckle.

“Delectable,” he purred.

I wondered what he would do now, and I didn’t have to wait long. The bed shifted, and I felt his tongue.

“Ohhh, Sir,” I moaned. “I think I’m supposed to pleasure you…”

“You should know by now,” he murmured between licks and sucks, “that I derive the greatest pleasure,” slurp, “from pleasuring you….”

And with that, he began his serious assault, and as the pressure built, I struggled against my restraints, wanting to close my thighs, needing to hold him to me. The storm broke, and I came, hard. My cries of ecstasy were probably heard by everyone in the inn, until Tom silenced me by kissing me. I could taste myself on him, and in the next instant, he had entered me and began fucking me, grunting with the effort.

He was panting and groaning, and I swear, I could hear his teeth grinding. He sounded frustrated, and in that moment, I really wished I could see his face.

“Fuck this,” he said not long after, pulling out of me. He fumbled a little as he untied me, then he slipped the blindfold off my face. He grabbed my hands and pulled them up around his neck. “Touch me, Bethany. I need your hands on me,” he said, through his teeth.

I needed that, too. Desperate to feel him, I brushed my palms over his shoulders, then combed my fingers through his hair. I reached one hand between us, taking his cock and lining it up with my opening. I lifted my hips and he slid inside, and I wrapped my legs around his thighs as he began rutting into me.

I couldn’t seem to get enough, and stroked my hands over whatever part of him I could reach, loving the feel of his skin, his hair, his muscles. “Tom… Tom…” I whimpered. “I’m going to come again.”

“Oh, Bethany, please,” he whispered. “Come for me.”

When my orgasm finally triggered, it was so intense, I saw stars. My whole body convulsed around him, my arms and legs squeezing him, and when he groaned and came with me, I felt so complete. I was where I was meant to be.

When we were finally back to ourselves, our breathing more or less normal, Tom held me so tenderly, I almost felt like crying. “So, we tried that,” he said. “Please don’t make me do that again. I need you to be able to touch me. I don’t know how those men who do this stand it!”

“Maybe next time I get to tie _you_ up,” I said teasingly.

“I’ll try anything once,” he said lazily, already half asleep. “But, somehow, I don’t think you’d like it any more than I did.”

“You’re probably right,” I said. “But, there’s only one way to know for sure.”

I set the alarm for twenty minutes, and cuddled up to him.


	64. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks, everybody, for being kind over the last chapter! This one, of course, tells virtually the same story from Tom’s POV. Loquacious bastard! This chapter is over twice as long as one of my normal chapters, but the man just won’t shut up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never knew this story would go on as long as it has, and I cherish each and every one of you who is still reading it. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Chapter 64, Tom

When Jay and I got downstairs, we found that a bunch of the crew had had the same idea that we did. There were around half a dozen of them, and as they were just getting started, they asked us to join them. Well, poker is much more fun with eight players than it is with two, so of course, we decided to take them up on it.

“What should we play for?” Jay asked.

“Oh, we always just play for chips,” the chief electrician, whose name was Kit, said. “None of us can afford to lose any real money.”

“That sounds more fun,” I said, because, although I am doing all right now, I still understand the value of a pound. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky to have been making money at my chosen career for a very long time, having been discovered and cast in several telly programs when I was quite young. But I understand that it’s not like that for everyone, and certainly, I know that most of these men had families to support, as well. So, we divided up the chips and took our places around the big round table. We cut for deal, and the game had begun.

One of the younger fellows seemed to have some sort of a grudge against me. He was just a trace belligerent, I thought, and anytime I had a half-way decent hand, he would up the bid in a rather reckless way. Fortunately for him, it seemed to be working, and he collected quite a sizable pile of chips early on in the game. When one of the sound guys asked to take a break to get some snacks, I took the opportunity to ask Jay what he knew about my young opponent.

“Oh,” Jay said, smirking his familiar grin, “I think that’s the grip, the one who is dating Jen. They got together after she finally got the hint that you are with Bethany and so are not interested. Hmmm, I hadn’t noticed til you said something, but now that you’ve drawn my attention to it, he does seem to have it out for you.”

“Well, Jen has moved on, so there’s really no need for him to feel threatened,” I said, “but I guess human emotions are sometimes irrational.”

Jay chuckled at that, and we were still laughing when the rest of the fellows rejoined us at the table. I have an excellent poker face, by the way, as you can probably imagine. Having been an actor for so long, and, if I may be so bold as to say so, a reasonably decent one, at that, I can act my way into a rather spectacular bluff. At one point, I won a fairly tremendous hand with nothing more than a pair of twos, and at that point, the game got a little out of hand.

I’ve never been quite sure if the other guys were genuinely having abysmal luck, or if they were all just trying to get out of the way, but gradually, they began to drop out, until there was just Jay, Jen’s beau, who I learned was named Rory, and me. The next round took out Jay, and as he rose from the table, his mouth pursed, he put a hand on my shoulder as he came to stand behind me. As none of the other players had left either, I imagine we all looked very wild-west Hollywood, with our beers and crisps, men hovering, whilest Rory and I squared off for the big showdown.

Rory dealt, and as I glanced at my cards, I let nothing show on my face, but inside, I was secretly exultant. Surely Rory could not be holding better cards than mine, and I knew that the game was almost over.

This is where we were when Clarice, Kate, Jennifer, and Bethany got back after their day of bridal shopping. They joined the men who were gathered around the table, and I’m embarrassed to admit that my chest swelled with juvenile masculine pride at the thought that Bethany would be here to witness my triumph.

I could tell that Rory was going to go for it, especially now that Jennifer was here, but I also knew that I had him. I couldn’t keep the satisfied smile off my face as he took one last look at his hand, drew a heavy breath, and then swept his entire pile of chips into the center of the table. “I’m all in,” he said brashly, his jaw jutting, staring me in the face.

The boy was beat, and as a gentleman, I had to give him a chance to reconsider. “Are you sure about that?” I asked quietly, my eyes narrowed.

Rory’s eyes dropped and he looked his cards again. “Yes, I’m sure!” he said, almost angrily. “You’re not going to do that to me again!”

Oh, but I was! Or rather, I was going to allow him to do it to himself, because again, instinctively I knew that he didn’t have the hand to beat me. But he was young, and practically oozing testosterone (and as I’m being honest, I may as well admit that I probably was, as well). I didn’t need to put in much to call, so I pushed the required number of chips out there and spread my cards out for all to see.

“Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure,” I said with a certainty.

I paused, not moving for a moment, waiting for Rory’s acknowledgement that I had indeed won. It came quickly; he tossed his cards down in disgust, then stood abruptly, his chair scraping noisily against the floor, and stalked off, muttering something that I didn’t quite catch under his breath.

Jennifer stifled a laugh, and said “I’d better go do damage control,” and followed him out into the hall.

The rest of the fellows began congratulating me, laughing and clapping me on the back.

“That was incredible!” Jay said with admiration. Clarice put her arm about his shoulders, and he jumped, startled. I don’t think he’d even been aware that she was there, and it made me chuckle. But when I finally looked at Bethany, my heart sank.

She was clearly angry with me, and I thought I knew why, but, on the other hand, I hadn’t done anything wrong. It’s a fact that women frequently don’t understand the way men think, and this was obviously one of those times.

“Was that really necessary?” she asked me challengingly, actually looking down on me, with her arms folded across her chest, because she was standing and I was sitting.

“What?” I asked, frowning a little, rising to my feet and moving to pull her into my arms, but she pulled away from me and began to gather up the dirty dishes and empty bottles from off of the tables.

“Crushing that boy,” she said, her lips barely moving, her face firmly turned away from me, as she pretended to be busy tidying up. I glanced around; it was pretty messy. Finally, I approached her and put my arms around her from behind, drawing her back against my chest, and she stiffened, a stack of bowls containing the dregs of our party snacks in her hands. I pressed my nose into the hollow behind her ear.

I don’t think women truly understand what makes men tick. We are actually quite simple creatures really. Of course, there are exceptions, but for the most part, men are not devious. Honestly, we don’t sit around planning how to make you miserable. We don’t ignore you to hurt you. But when it comes to other men, we will do absolutely everything in our power to be the most attractive male around: the strongest, the smartest, the best looking. We want you to know it. And, we want to own it. We don’t want it just handed to us. If we haven’t earned it, then, in most normal cases, we don’t want it.

“It’s the nature of men, love,” I told her gently. “He would have been unsatisfied if he even suspected that I wasn’t giving it my all.”

“He wanted to win because he’s seeing Jennifer, and he knows she used to be interested in you,” she said accusingly. “She probably talks about you all the time…”

Maybe. I guess I wouldn’t deny that possibility. If she did, though, it was most likely on purpose, to try to challenge him to act, well, very much like he had just been acting. And I will admit it up-front: I don’t understand women! I don’t think any man truly ever really does!

“Probably,” I said. But: “And he feels competitive over her affections. But I don’t want her. I want you.” He, of course, had absolutely nothing to fear from me. I had my own woman, and I wasn’t interested in any other. I approached Bethany, taking the dishes from her and going into the kitchen with them, then coming back to the dining room. “Here, let’s finish cleaning up.”

“I love you,” Bethany said suddenly, a surprised look on her face. I don’t think she meant to say it, and I know she was still annoyed with me. She made no move to help me, just stood there watching me for a moment.

I stopped, looking at her, loving her so much right then. Such a caring soul, and I am the luckiest man on the planet. “He’ll be all right,” I said gently. “Jennifer is woman enough to console him.”

“You’re so absolutely right,” she said, sighing. She looked at me a moment, blinking slowly, her mouth pursed “How did you get to be so smart?”

“Just born this way,” I said with a smile.

She pitched in, and it didn’t take us long to put everything away, until the space was ship-shape and tidy once more. I put my arm around her and drew her to my side, as we climbed the stairs to our room. Curiosity was killing me. I had to know.

“Well, were you successful?” I asked finally, as we walked along the corridor towards our room.

She hesitated for a bit, before giving me a huge, sunny smile. “As a matter of fact, we were,” she said. I was so delighted that I totally missed the sneaky way she was looking at me. When she casually returned, “How about you?” I blithely, blissfully, answered.

“Oh, yes, we were, very much…” my words fading when I realized how she’d tricked me. “That wasn’t fair,” I said quietly, vexed, drawing away from her.

But we’d arrived at our room, and I reached into in my pocket for the keys, opening the door, striding straight across the floor to the washroom, needing some space for a minute or two. I locked the door so she couldn’t follow me in; I was unaccountably hurt that she seemed so intent on spoiling my little bit of magic.

“Aw, come on, Tom, don’t be that way,” I could hear her voice, muffled outside the door. I finished using the facilities and washed my hands, trying to figure out what I wanted to say to her. I know I’ve mentioned this before, and to this day, I’m still not sure that I was right, but I wanted her ring to be a surprise. Because I am absolutely certain, that if I gave her any chance at all, she would make me take it back. And I wasn’t going to do that. I was pretty sure that the best chance I had of getting away with it came by not letting her know about it til the actual wedding ceremony. Convinced, I nodded to myself in the washroom mirror, before unlocking the door and going back out to the main room.

I just looked at her for a moment, trying to will her to let it rest. After a moment, her posture softened and she looked at me contritely.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically.

“Please don’t ruin your surprise,” was all I said.

“All right, Tom,” she said, taking a deep breath and swallowing hard. “I won’t. I’ll stop.”

I put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me, running the fingers of my other hand through her hair. “We have a few hours before dinner,” I said, knowing that she was probably not ready for much more than a nap, and not wanting to push anything on to her. “What would you like to do?”

“I’m exhausted,” she said plainly, resting her head against me and relaxing into my arms. I tightened them around her, feeling a swell of male protectiveness, wanting more than anything to simply hold and comfort her.

“I’d like nothing more than to just lie down, and maybe read or watch the telly with you,” she said tiredly

“That does sound wonderful,” I said, my arms tightening about her once more. Kissing her on the forehead, and taking her by the shoulders, I eased her away from me and guided her to the bed. We lay down, both of us getting out the things we do when we’re resting but not sleeping. Bethany had both an ereader and a tablet computer, and I had my iPad, some scripts that Luke had sent over, an adventure novel, and my beloved copy of the complete Works of Shakespeare that I always have with me. I figured I should cheek my emails, see the latest from Luke, maybe make sure that my fans were not talking shit about Bethany, so I picked up my iPad, and I noticed that she probably had a similar idea, as she bypassed her ereader and got out her tablet.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the overwhelming majority of my fans seemed to love Bethany. That just wasn’t something I had been expecting, but it certainly made things a whole lot easier, and I was really so very grateful. I wasn’t going to back off this time; Bethany made me happy, and she was going to be my wife; whether my fans wanted to accept it or not made no difference. But since they seemed to approve, I closed my eyes and said a silent little prayer of gratitude.

I had been totally immersed in my surfing, assuming Bethany was still just reading emails or something, when suddenly she began to giggle, her mirth growing exponentially until she was chortling almost hysterically, laughing so hard that actual tears were rolling down her cheeks.

I watched her for a moment, and, her laughter being contagious, I found myself chuckling along with her. “What are you reading that’s got you so amused?” I asked.

She was laughing so hard that she wasn’t capable of speech, and gasping a little, wordlessly she handed me her tablet. Curious, I took it and looked to see what she had been reading.

Oh no. Really? My wonderful Bethany had succumbed to… fan fiction. And not just any fan fiction, no. She was reading that variety where my character is a cruel, unfeeling jerk, an alpha male, dominant, aggressive, controlling, with no hint of tenderness or human compassion. The ‘Tom’ in the particular story that Bethany was reading that day, had tied his girlfriend, woman, whatever, to the bed, had actually beat her, verbally maligned her, arrogantly ordered her about, denied her any pleasure whilst using her most egregiously for his own, not caring any for loving or intimacy. I understand that it’s all supposed to be consensual, but honestly, it all felt rather forced, and I would never behave that way, and it hurts me that anyone could think that I would. That sort of thing does not appeal to me, as I am much more giving in nature.

I looked at Bethany, disgruntled and shocked. “This is disgusting,” I said quietly. “Fifty shades of Tom.”

For some reason, that just made her laugh harder, and I just watched her for a few minutes while she struggled to pull herself back together.

“Does this mean you don’t want to tie me up and wack me, Sir?” she asked, still giggling a little, still gasping for breath.

Um, no. “Maybe I would have tied you up when we first met, when you refused to admit how much you love me,” I said darkly, handing her back her tablet, my hands feeling dirty from having touched the thing. “Can you imagine? My mum and sisters would have my head if ever tried such shit. People certainly do have vivid imaginations.”

“Aren’t you ever curious?” she asked hesitantly. “Do you think you’d ever want to try any of this stuff?”

Ewww, no. “What?” I asked, pulling away from her and looking intently at her face. “You want me to spank you?”

“Well, no,” she said, her voice catching. “But, uh, maybe… you sometimes, uh, might want to tie me up?”

Wait, what? Was she serious? “No,” I told her. “I can’t say as I have ever wanted to do any such thing.”

I looked at her again, shocked at what I saw there. I felt my lip curl, and I drew back from her even further. I’m sure my dismay showed on my face. “You want me to do it!” I said accusingly.

“I’m just, uh, a little curious as to what it would be like,” she said shyly. “There are so many stories like this. It makes me wonder…”

No. I just couldn’t imagine it. I am a big hugger. People should just hug more, yeah. And I couldn’t imagine not having an equal say with my partner over where our lovemaking went. And surely, I myself derive the greatest pleasure in bringing exquisite pleasure to my partner, something I have been told that I am quite good at. This one-sided bollocks didn’t suit me at all.

“I like you touching me,” I finally said. “I need the feeling of your hands on my body, stroking my face and clutching at my hair.” My mind went back to our first, disastrous date.

 _“You don’t need me telling you how breathless you make me,”_ she’d said, _“how tied up in knots my stomach is, how, when I do your hair, it’s all I can do keep myself from playing in it, how hard it is to do your makeup because of how badly I want to pet your face, how I find the way you smell almost intoxicating.”_

This, her touch, had been among the first intimacies between us, and continued to be something I craved, in order to achieve satisfaction.

She turned away from me, seemingly gathering her thoughts, then turned back and met my eyes.

“Could we play?” she asked pleadingly. “Please?”

Shit, she really meant it. “You’re serious,” I said, horrified.

She nodded, and standing up, went over to our closet. She walked back slowly, seductively, removing her clothing a piece at a time as she approached. By the time she arrived back at the bed, she was clad in only her knickers, and I saw that she had fetched three or four of my neckties. She handed them to me, then held her arms out towards me, wrists together in front of her. She kept her eyes downcast, when she said, “Would you like to blindfold and tie me up, Sir?”

Good god. This was just role play, right? This was just for fun, for pretend? I felt a hint of shame as my cock stirred in my trousers. Seeing her standing there, offering to allow me to take total control over her body was a heady experience. Well, why not? She seemed to genuinely want this, and we could quit at any time. We were in a loving, committed relationship, and I have always believed that a couple should explore as many aspects of their sexuality as they are comfortable with. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to settle into my role. Hmm, mostly Loki, with his penchant for domination, I thought, with perhaps a hint of Magnus’ stern integrity, and King Henry V’s imperious seductiveness.

I held myself stiffly as I selected a necktie and rose from the bed.

“You crave subjugation, do you?” I asked quietly, deliberately pitching my voice lower than normal. “Very well, I can give you that.”

I tied the first necktie over her eyes, and she shivered as the knot tightened around her head.

“Hands behind your back,” I growled. She hesitated, and I raised my voice a little, and said, “Now!”

She swallowed hard as she scrambled to obey me, turning away and offering me her wrists held together at the small of her back. I bound them loosely, not wanting to hurt her.

“Now, I know that you are aware that you are to call me ‘Sir,’ I said authoritatively, “and I expect obedience.” Taking her by the shoulders, I gently but firmly pushed her to the floor. “Kneel,” I snapped.

Holy shit. The sight of her kneeling before me, mostly naked and pretty much helpless, blind, bound… Fuck.

Hurriedly, I stripped, my cock so hard I probably had zipper teeth imprints embedded on it.

“Open,” I said harshly.

She did so, and I ran the head of my cock across her lips. “Suck,” I said.

Actually daring to grin up at me, she evidently had the idea to tease me. Instead of taking me in her mouth, she licked at me, and I saw red at this sign of disobedience. I grabbed her hair and pulled her face towards me.

“I said suck!” I commanded, my anger coloring my voice, pulling her hair hard and thrusting my cock past her lips. She visibly winced, and let out a whimper.

Shit, I’d hurt her. My cock deflated immediately as I returned to myself. I massaged her scalp, trying to sooth the pain away.

“Are you all right?” I said, feeling ashamed.

“I’m fine, Sir,” she said softly. “Please don’t punish me.”

What the fuck? As if I ever would. I could never behave that way, and yet, I’d just gotten so lost in my role that I’d actually, physically hurt her. This was a dangerous game we were playing.

“Of course not,” I said, pretty much ready for this game to be over. “Bethany, you know I’d never… “

She, however, was apparently not. “But, Sir!” she protested. “You’ve taken your cock away!”

But… damn. “Bethany…” I tried, hoping she’d get the hint.

No such luck. “Please, Sir, I want it!” She pouted her lips, moistening them with her tongue, looking most eager.

What’s a man to do? My cock hung limp, so I took it in hand, stroking myself to hardness while I watched her eager face.

Let’s try this again.

Bumping the head of my cock against her open mouth, I ordered, “Suck.”

This time, she complied instantly, leaning forward and trying to move on me. With her hands bound behind her back, she was off balance, and I gently held the sides of her head, holding her upright whilst she pleasured me, sucking me deeply into her throat, swirling her tongue, making filthy slurping sounds and little whimpering moans.

I could see her hands straining against her bonds, and while I was definitely aroused, it felt like something was missing. I sensed that Bethany was ready for something different, so I figured it was time to move on to the next logical step.

“Don’t move,” I said shortly. “I’m going to fuck your mouth.”

Still holding her head, firmly but gently, I began thrusting into her open mouth, trying not to go too deep, but the feeling was fantastic. Once again, it got away from me a little bit, and about the third or fourth time that I noticed I had passed her gag reflex point, I pulled out, grunting frustratedly, grasping her wrists and hauling her to her feet. Leaving the blindfold, I untied her hands.

“I want you to lay down,” I said quietly. “I’m going to tie you to the bed.” I’m not sure where the words came from, but I knew somehow that they were right for this role that I was playing. I just wasn’t sure that this was a role that I actually wanted. ‘This is for Bethany,’ I thought to myself, as I forced myself to get back into character. I led her to the bed, turning her around so she could feel the mattress against the back of her legs. I pushed down on her shoulders til she sat, then watched as she scooted on her bum until her head was laying up against the pillows.

I still had the necktie with which I’d bound her wrists in my hand, and I used it to tie her right wrist to the bedpost, finding another necktie and securing her left. I checked them and thought that they were comfortably loose, but I needed confirmation from her.

Momentarily breaking character, in a soft voice, I asked, “Is this too tight?”

“No, Sir,” she whispered; she apparently wasn’t having any trouble staying in character!

I stood looking down at her for a moment. I could see how aroused she was, swollen and practically dripping with want; I hadn’t really hurt her yet, and she still seemed to be in the moment. I watched her feet moving restlessly against the coverlet. Shit, really? Tom, you are one sick bastard.

She was still wearing her knickers; I practically tore them off of her. I grabbed two more neckties and tied her ankles to the bedposts, too.

Fuck. There she lay, blind, spread, an evil man’s dream.

Putting my mouth against her ear, and not even really making a sound, I asked if she was all right, and she nodded.

“Not too tight?” I breathed.

“No,” she whispered.

Finally allowing myself to totally immerse myself into this dark role I was playing, I chuckled menacingly.

“Delectable,” I said silkily, before climbing onto the bed. I nestled between her spread legs, then licked her top to bottom, allowing my tongue to tease around her clit, never quite landing the way I knew she wanted me to.

“Ohhh, Sir,” she moaned in protest. “I think I’m supposed to pleasure you…”

Ah, but by allowing me to do this to her, she was. “You should know by now,” I murmured between licks and sucks, “that I derive the greatest pleasure,” more slurping and sucking, “from pleasuring you….”

At last, I put her out of her misery and sucked her clit into my mouth. Her hips bucked up off the bed, and her arms thrashed against her restraints. Normally I can’t go down on her without her grabbing handfuls of my hair, but this time, of course, she was unable to do that. As she got closer and closer, she also fought the need to close her thighs, and I knew that once she tipped, it was going to be absolutely epic.

Finally, with a combination of sucking and licking from me, she positively screamed in completion. I moved faster than I ever thought was possible, sealing my mouth over hers to muffle her cries, thrusting my cock into her, in the same rhythm I was using with my tongue as I kissed her.

There was no finesse; I rutted against her like a crazed man, slamming into her repeatedly, with no regularity, grunting with the effort. I panted and groaned, but fuck, it was moving away from me, and each thrust seemed to actually be reversing my arousal. My frustration continued to grow until I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

I needed my Bethy.

“Fuck this,” I said, pulling out of her. Frantically I worked to untie her wrists and ankles, then I ripped off her blindfold. I grasped her hands, pulling them up and about my neck.

“Touch me, Bethany. I need your hands on me,” I said, through gritted teeth.

And her hands were desperate as she ran her palms over my body: shoulders, back, chest, arms, until finally, with a whimper, she clutched at my hair with both hands. After a moment, she reached between us, grabbing my cock and lining us up. She lifted her hips to mine, and I sunk inside of her, my eyes clenched shut tight as I started to move within her. She wrapped both her arms and legs around me and held on tight, and our bodies danced in that age-old rhythm.

Her hands continued caressing me, it was as if she were starved for it, and it drove me on. Her touch…

I could feel her, getting closer, the tenor of her breathing changing, the movements of her hips as she rose to meet me, and finally she cried out with it, my name sounding fantastic on her lips. “Tom… Tom… I’m going to come again.”

Oh, yes. Oh, my god, please yes. “Oh, Bethany, please,” I whispered. “Come for me.”

It was as if her whole body orgasmed, her arms and legs and pussy all contracting and convulsing around me, holding me, squeezing me, and I came with her, and it was glorious.

It took us awhile before we stopped breathing so heavily that we could speak. I cradled her against me tenderly, lovingly, grudgingly grateful for the experience. I learned a lot about myself that day.

“So,” I said, “we tried that. Please don’t make me do that again. I need you to be able to touch me. I don’t know how those men who do this stand it!”

“Maybe next time I get to tie _you_ up,” she said lazily.

What? Hmmm, I suppose. It only seemed fair. Somehow, I knew that that would be quite a bit easier for me, but I was guessing that she probably wouldn’t like it very much. But, I guess, if she wanted, I’d be willing to let her find out.

“I’ll try anything once,” I said groggily, feeling myself sinking fast. “But, somehow, I don’t think you’d like it any more than I did.”

“You’re probably right,” she murmured. “But, there’s only one way to know for sure.”

I think that’s what she said, but quite frankly, I was already asleep.


	65. Bethany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! Not long now! I am having so much fun writing this! Thank you all for reading!

Chapter 65, Bethany

Three weeks. Filming continued to go well. We’d ordered invitations and sent them out, knowing that the short notice would mean that many of our friends would be unable to attend, but that was the nature of this crazy thing. Tom and I had decided that the two of us would throw a grand reception, sometime during the summer, with plenty of lead time, so that anyone who would be unable to make it to the actual wedding would be able to come and celebrate with us then. When I said as much to Clarice, she was delighted.

“Damn, girlfriend, what a great idea!” she enthused. “Jay and I could hold one back home in Montreal. It would make it so much easier,” and she ran off to convince Jay, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t too very difficult. Both he and Tom were being infinitely gentle with the two of us; patient, long-suffering, kind, and sweet.

The atmosphere on set was electric most of the time, now. The entire cast and crew were on edge with anticipation. It was gratifying to be the focus of so much excitement, but it was exhausting, too. One day, about two weeks before the big day, I looked in the mirror and realized that I looked like death warmed over: dark circles under my eyes, pale, my hair limp. I was still nauseous first thing in the morning most days, and often at other random times of the day, and of course, I wasn’t getting anywhere near enough sleep.

Tom came up behind me, his eyes meeting mine in reflection. He put his hands on my shoulders and rested his face against the side of my head. “You really can’t go on like this,” he murmured in my ear. “I’m worried for the baby. I’m worried for you, Bethany.”

I turned in his arms, nestling my face into his chest as tears started slowly from my eyes. “I know,” I whispered. “But what can we do? The wedding is in two weeks, we only have about three weeks total left of filming, and then I’m supposed start my contract with Disney.”

“About that,” he said hesitantly, his hands rubbing absently over my back and shoulders. “I know that’s an exciting career development for you, but do you think… that is, are you…? Could you…?”

I pulled back slightly so that I could look up into his eyes. Cupping his face in one hand, I gave him a gentle smile. “It’s actually already handled,” I confessed reassuringly, feeling a little sheepish. “Disney is a family-friendly company. They’ve agreed to give me a year’s delay in the start of my contract, starting the day after filming concludes here. I can’t imagine anything more generous. It’s truly taken a huge burden off of my back.”

Tom drew a deep breath, and a giant, sunny smile wreathed his face. “That’s fantastic!” he said softly, pulling me back into his embrace. “What a relief! I was so worried about that, but I’ve promised myself that I won’t try to come between you and your career.”

“I was worried, too,” I admitted. “It almost seems too good to be true, but at this point in time, it is exactly what we need. I, uh, I don’t want our children to be raised by nannies, Tom. I want to be the same kind of mum that mine was.”

He pulled back, smiling at me gently. Ah, my beloved Tom with his puppy eyes. “I love you, Bethany,” he whispered.

Progress on the details for the wedding continued to roll forth. Clarice and I picked out the cake, napkins, serving pieces, and all the other little trappings. RSVPs began trickling in; they were being sent to the postal box that the film office had taken for the duration. Clarice had this crazy idea and decided that she wanted to be celibate for the last two weeks before the wedding, and begged me to move in with her, wanting Jay and me to swap places. I was surprised when Tom embraced the idea, and he helped me with the pack and move. I’m afraid I cried myself to sleep the first night; hormonally emotional; not being held by him turned out to be almost unbearably painful, and yet, was reassuring as well, as the very last doubt as to whether I was doing the right thing by marrying him, was totally dispelled by how empty I felt in not being able to spend my night in his arms.

A week and a half. Our families and closest friends began to arrive. Jay and Tom had booked an entire 500-room hotel, close to the film set, for our guests. The first to arrive were my parents. I hadn’t seen them in almost a year, and as my mum pulled me into a huge, warm hug, I once again burst into tears. Damn pregnancy was turning me into a waterworks! But it was marvelous seeing them.

Mum’s reaction when she met Tom for the first time was priceless. He, of course, was understandably nervous to be meeting the future in-laws, so he’d pulled out all the stops, and was positively oozing charm. I was so proud and happy when I stood beside him, my right hand held in his left, as I introduced them.

“Mum, dad, this is Tom Hiddleston, my fiancé,” I said shyly. I wasn’t worried, but suddenly, I was a bit embarrassed, my parents being a bit old fashioned, and obviously, I had been sleeping with the man. Thank goodness for Clarice, and her crazy celibacy idea, I thought in that moment.

And, I needn’t have worried. As I said, Tom was so determined to impress them, that as I turned to him, and said, “Tom, my parents, Ned and Nellie Murrow,” and as he took my mum’s hand, smiling that gazillion-watt smile and looking her in the eyes, I thought she might actually faint dead away.

“Oh, my,” my sweet, practical mum gushed. “Aren’t you a handsome devil?” She stood there dazed, her hand limp in his, then gathered herself, stepping back and pulling her hand out of his grasp and fanning herself with it. She looked at me, blinking slowly. “I apologize for every unkind thought I have had, Bethany, dear. I can definitely see how you had difficulty resisting him, if this is how he behaved when you first met.” She turned back to Tom, attempting to look stern, but I’m afraid she really just managed to look a bit goofy. “You stop this right now, young man,” she said sharply, shaking a finger at him “None of your devil man wiles on me, now! I’m a married woman, and immune to you”

Tom tipped his head back, laughing out loud, his tongue between his teeth. “I’m sorry,” he said between guffaws and gasps. “I wasn’t meaning to use my ‘devil man wiles’ on you, Mrs. Murrow. As Bethany’s mother, I just want you to like me.” He sobered abruptly, and turned on the puppy eyes.

Mum melted instantly, her mouth slightly open as she stood regarding him, her head tipped back because of how very much taller he is than she. I laughed, slipping my arm about her shoulders.

“Oh, my,” she said again, her voice faint.

I squeezed her shoulders, and gave Tom a ‘knock- it-off’ look. “Tom,” I said warningly, pursing my lips.

“What?” he asked, almost pouting.

The moment was finally broken by my dad, who cleared his throat and said, “Do you suppose there are any crisps about? I’m a bit famished.” We all laughed, and tension dispelled, we went to go see what we could find.

***

After that, our guests began to arrive in a steady stream. Ezra and Malachi were next, followed by Diana and Emma. Em had recently become engaged, and had her new fiancé in tow. What a handsome, generous man he turned out to be, and as Em and I hugged, we exchanged a wordless look of wonder that we had both managed to land two such wonderful men for our own. If Emma felt awkward that mine just happened to be her brother, well, she certainly never let it show!

Ezra. Oh, Ez. I’m not supposed to let on, but he’s always been my favorite brother, even though there’s eight years’ difference in our ages. I could tell instantly that something was wrong, and I glared at him as he stood there looking lost.

“Ez, what is it?” I demanded, folding my arms across my chest.

“Calm down, Bethany, don’t get your knickers into a twist,” he said, barely restraining laughter. “It’s a good thing.”

“Well?” I said challengingly, tapping my foot. “Spill.”

He sighed. “You remember Mona June, from the diner…”

I did. Mona June Ray was the pretty widow who owned and ran the diner in the little Eastern Oregon town, that was the closest thing to civilization near to the ranch that was Ez and Mal’s waking dream. She’d lost her husband five years ago, and was raising two bright and energetic kids on her own, as well as baking the best cherry pie in the western United States, according to Ez

Suddenly, I got it. “Oh, Ez, hurray!” I said, hugging him again.

He blushed crimson. “I didn’t want to steal your thunder,” he said shyly. “But I’ll be needing you and Tom, and the baby, I guess, to make a trip to Oregon around Christmastime.”

He looked so shy and sweet, and so unlike the confident English wild west rancher I had come to know, that I couldn’t help laughing. “Well, thank you so much for coming, but then why do you seem so sad?”

He pouted. “I miss her, of course,” he said. “I’ve got it bad, Bethany. Can’t you tell, one love-sick goof to another?”

I studied him for a moment. Yes, how had I missed it? It was so obvious now that I knew to look, and I nodded. “Bet you miss the kids, too,” I said, softly.

“Oh yes, of course l do,” he said. “But mostly… I miss Mona June’s cooking!”

I elbowed him in the ribs, and we had a good laugh about that.

***

Luke and Lance arrived together, of course, and when I saw Lance, I threw myself into his arms, yet again bursting into tears. Damn hormones! Seriously?

“Oh, Lance, I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed you,” I sobbed, while he stroked my back gently.

“I know, love,” he crooned, holding me tight, before putting a hand under my chin and tipping my head back. “Let me get a good look at you, then.” He peered at me intently, then pulled me back into his chest, and I felt, rather than heard, his relieved sigh. “Oh, good,” he murmured. “That man is making you so happy.”

I pulled out of his embrace, wiping my face and smiling up at him. “Yes, he really is,” I said softly. “But what about you? Things are obviously very good between you and Luke!”

His cheeks turned pink, and he laughed gently. “Of course they are,” he said quietly. “I always said they would be!”

Yes, he was right, he’d been saying that for years!

***

Tom’s oldest sister, Sarah, and her husband and children, arrived from India. She rushed to me, grabbing me and sweeping me up in a huge hug, that for some reason reminded me of Tom. “Oh, Bethany, thank you so much!” she said, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t think Tom would ever find someone! He’s always been so focused on his career, and as the years passed, and he never slowed down one iota, I just despaired that he would ever take the time to prepare for the future. I feared… well, honestly, I feared that he would end up alone.”

She stepped back from me, taking my hand in hers and glancing over to where Tom was wrestling around with his nieces and nephew. “You can see he was born to be a father, can’t you?” she murmured. “Thank you for giving him that. I can see that he is ecstatically happy. And you look pretty elated yourself?”

I automatically responded to the question in her eyes. “Oh, yes,” I said, nodding enthusiastically, and grinning like a loon. “I honestly didn’t know it was possible to be this happy!”

She laughed at that, full-bodied and unrestrained, and I was struck by again how much alike Tom and she were. “You’re very like him,” I said, looking at her… well, lovingly. She really did just remind me so much of him, that I was drawn to her instantly.

She laughed again and squeezed me tighter. “Rather, he’s like me, as I am the elder!”

“Whatever,” I said, laughing myself, pulling away to lean against Tom as he joined us once again, a couple of small people in tow. “I’m just glad to have gotten to actually meet you in person.”

***

Clarice’s cousin Tina arrived with Jay’s sister Taylor. They had apparently met the previous summer at a family reunion, as Taylor had been staying with Jay at the time, and Clarice had jumped at the chance of having both of them meet her family, and they had instantly become fast friends. Tina was a lovely girl – young, giddy, bouncy – full of energy and optimism, a few years younger than I, I supposed. Tom loved her instantly, and suddenly it was as if he had another sister. She had been around celebrities, being so close to Clarice, for most of her adult life, so she took meeting Tom in stride.

But then, sparks flew when she met Malachi. Oh, ho! Awkward, shy Mal was smitten instantly, and if I hadn’t been worried that he might get hurt, it would have been quite amusing to see how attentive he became. I made myself a mental note to speak to Clarice about it as soon as I became afforded a chance, though. Mal was Tom’s age, so he was a bit older (less than ten years, I’d guessed), but as I far as I know, he’d never really ever even had a girlfriend, and I had always thought that he might actually be gay; so this evidence to the contrary kind of floored me. I didn’t know Tina at all, of course, but being so in love with Tom, my wildest dreams about to come true, I couldn’t help wishing the same for everyone around me. But, I worried for Mal, too. Perhaps, with her youth, and his inexperience, they would get on well. Resolving once again to ask Clarice about it, I made myself put it from my mind.

Taylor, on the other hand, was totally star struck by Tom, which quite surprised me, considering that she is an actress. She’s only a year younger than me than me, and ethereally beautiful, and her instant crush on Tom was palpable. I’m afraid I was quite jealous at first, as Tom didn’t notice her infatuation – it was like Jennifer all over again — and he behaved in his usual charming, irresistible manner, which only encouraged her.

The situation was finally resolved when my brother Daniel arrived from Chicago. He had stopped over in New York and had joined up with my sister Rebekah, and I was so glad to see them both. I had been with Bekah over the summer, but I hadn’t seen Daniel in what seemed like forever, although, certainly we had kept in touch, and as a corporate attorney, he continued to advise me on any contracts that came my way. As I hugged Danny, I was overwhelmed by emotion, and of course, I burst into tears. It was getting old and I was getting dehydrated, but that didn’t stop it, dammit.

“Ah, honey,” Danny said, the Midwestern American accent he’d adopted sounding so foreign and exotic to my ears. “Let’s have a look at you!” He held me at arms’ length, looking me up and down. “Yup, you’ll do. Bethany, you look fabulous. I was worried that this thing was happening too fast, but one look at you, and I can tell you’re about the happiest girl alive right now, aren’t you?”

Suddenly, he froze. He was looking at something over my shoulder, and his mouth dropped open and his eyes got wide. He looked like someone had smacked him in the face with a shovel, and, curious, I drew away from him and turned around. Standing, suspended on one foot in the doorway, was Taylor, her expression so nearly matching Daniel’s that I instantly knew that things were never going to be dull between them.

I walked over to Taylor, taking her by the hand and bringing her fully into the room. “Taylor,” I said quietly, “This is my brother Daniel Murrow, from Chicago. Danny, this is Jay’s sister, Taylor Baruchel, from Montreal.”

Danny took her hand, as, mesmerized, he gazed into her eyes. “Taylor,” he acknowledged, his voice faint.

“Taylor,” I echoed, touching her on her shoulder, and she started slightly and looked at me, blinking. “Why don’t you show Danny to his room?”

“Yes, all right,” she said faintly, looking at Danny once more. He was still holding her hand, so she tugged on it, and he followed her out into the hall, looking back at me over her shoulder and grinning like a fool, very un-lawyerlike. As he slipped out of my view, he shot me a wink, and I wondered if I’d have to start hiding from Jay.

***

Family and friends continued to arrive, and I was giddy with it.

And then, all together, as if it were a tidal wave, or a gathering storm, Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jonah Hill swept in.

Oh, boy.


	66. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally! I really have been working on this, but this chapter is over 4500 words long! Oh, Tom, you long-winded so-and-so, you! So anyway, here it is! I’m quite proud of it; hope it satisfies! Enjoy!

Chapter 66, Tom

Time seemed to be speeding up, and slowing down at the same time. With barely three weeks before the wedding, I was becoming unbelievably excited. Bethany and Clarice were always together, whispering in corners – it was almost as if they were plotting nefarious schemes. I was almost jealous, because I think Bethany was spending more time with Clarice than she was with me!

Even though the time was short, we sent out invitations, and had the RSVPs sent straight to the film office on set. Bethany and I knew, though, that a lot of our friends probably wouldn’t come. I’m not sure which of us first had the idea to hold a grand reception a little later in the year, but once it had been mentioned, well, it was clear that it was a wonderful idea, and the obvious thing to do.

“A grand reception, huh?” Jay asked me.

“Oh, yes,” I answered happily. “It’s the perfect solution!”

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it,” he said. “It’s obviously a great idea. Clarice will want us to have one, too. Back home, of course. I, uh, I hope you and Bethany can come. It almost wouldn’t be right if you didn’t.”

“I hope we’ll be able to,” I said warmly, and, suddenly overwhelmed with affection for him, I held open my arms. “Come here, Jay. I need a man hug!”

Jay grabbed me, heartily pounding me on the back. “I, uh, I love ya, you know,” he said gruffly. “I’m so glad we’ve had this chance to become friends.”

His words touched me so, that tears actually came to my eyes. “I feel the same way,” I admitted. “This project has given me so much: some unique experiences, wonderful friends that I’ll keep for the rest of my life, and, of course, Bethany. But, I truly do feel that you are perhaps the brother I never had.” I tightened my arms about his slender frame. I hadn’t bonded so tightly or so quickly with anyone before, except for Chris.

Of course, that got me thinking about my blond, Australian best man. He was working on a film project and wouldn’t be able to be with us until less than a week before the wedding. It was cutting it close, but I wasn’t worried; I simply knew that everything would work out.

The girls were on edge all the time, and Jay and I were both striving to remain calm. Jay mentioned that he wanted to be a rock for Clarice, and I was once again struck by his sensitivity and patience. Of course, I wanted to give the same to Bethany, and it wasn’t hard, as I love her so.

And in spite of all of the excitement, filming was still on-going, although absolutely everyone involved with the project was, by default, part of the wedding party. There was a feeling of gaiety in the very air, and I positively reveled in it. But all of the excitement and stress was taking a toll on Bethany. It would have been hard enough had she not been pregnant, but the fact that she was made it doubly difficult. I knew she was suffering: the anxiety, excitement, lack of sleep, not to mention the nausea she was still experiencing most mornings, as well as sometimes even later on in the day, were all combining to sap her not inconsiderable strength. I tried to be there for her as much as I could, but I was honestly starting to worry, about both her and the baby. With about two weeks left before the wedding, I wondered if we shouldn’t just elope. One morning, my eyes met hers in the bathroom mirror as we were getting ready for filming that day. I was taken aback when I got a good look at her sunken eyes, pale complexion, lackluster hair, and general air of overall fatigue.

I cuddled her to me from behind, brushing my cheek against hers. “You really can’t go on like this,” I whispered concernedly in her ear. “I’m worried for the baby. I’m worried for _you_ , Bethany.”

She turned in my arms, pressing her face into my chest over my heart, and I felt her tears soak my shirt. “I know,” she murmured. “But what can we do? The wedding is in two weeks, we only have about three weeks total left of filming, and then I’m supposed start my contract with Disney.”

Damn. I was excited for her, and that had used to seem like a brilliant career move, but now, I was just jealous that it was going to be taking her away from being a mother to our baby. It would take her away from me! I stroked her back gently, soothingly. “About that,” I said tentatively, worrying that she would think I wasn’t going to be supportive. “I know that’s an exciting career development for you, but do you think… that is, are you…? Could you…?” This was so hard. I would never intentionally stifle her.

She drew back and smiled up at me, reaching up to pet my face, as is her way. “It’s actually already handled,” she said, sounding embarrassed. “Disney is a family-friendly company. They’ve agreed to give me a year’s delay in the start of my contract, starting the day after filming concludes here. I can’t imagine anything more generous. It’s truly taken a huge burden off of my back.”

Ah, now that was great news. I sighed in relief, smiling back at her. “That’s fantastic!” I said softly, pulling her back into my arms. “What a relief! I was so worried about that, but I’ve promised myself that I won’t try to come between you and your career.”

“I was worried, too,” she confessed. “It almost seems too good to be true, but at this point in time, it is exactly what we need. I, uh, I don’t want our children to be raised by nannies, Tom. I want to be the same kind of mum that mine was.”

Of course she did. I would expect nothing less from her, than that she would be the best she could be at whatever she chose. She’s made that way. “I love you, Bethany,” I whispered.

Bethany and I hadn’t spent a night apart since before coming to Cambridge, and we’d been engaged then. But with the wedding coming up, I began to wonder what could make it extra special. You’re probably rolling your eyes about now, wondering whatever is it that daft blimey loon is on about now. Fallen madly in love, practically at first sight, fiancée is pregnant with a child desired for desperately, fairy tale wedding in a film on the horizon – what more could the bounder possibly want? Well, honestly? I wanted our wedding night to be perfect. I wanted us to be just a little bit on edge. I wanted it to be like the first time. I was beginning to think of ways that I could broach this to Bethany, when she surprised me by coming to me.

“Um, Tom,” she began hesitantly. “I don’t know how to say this, but…”

“What is it, love?” I said, taking her into my arms. “You know you can say anything to me.”

“I know,” she said, almost shyly. “It’s just that, this seems so weird, and I just don’t know how you’re going to take it.”

I chuckled softly. “You’ll never know until you try me,” I said encouragingly. “What is it, Bethy?”

“All right,” she said, taking a deep breath, “and this comes from Clarice, not me.”

“Go on,” I said, kissing her brow.

“OK, here goes. Clarice wants to be celibate til the wedding,” she finished in a rush.

Oh, Clarice. She and I are really quite alike: carefree, happy-go-lucky, always seeing the positive in things, with a wicked and naughty sense of humor. I could tell that Bethany was surprised by Clarice’s celibacy idea, but obviously I wasn’t, since it had already been on my mind. I was quick to reassure Bethany. “That brilliant!” I said happily. “Think about how much more special our wedding night will be if we’re a little bit wanting.”

“Oh,” she said thoughtfully. “I just hadn’t thought of it that way at all, but that does sound… well, rather sweet, I guess. So you’d be OK with it?”

“Yes, of course,” I murmured.

“Help me pack?” she asked, blinking up at me.

“I live to serve,” I said factiously, and in no time, we had swapped places, Bethany with Jay. I missed her next to me, in my arms, and I hardly slept the first night. But I knew it would get better, and I knew it would be worth it.

All the little details about the wedding began to fall into place. Bethany kept me informed with a daily report. The cake was ordered, the flowers, the napkins, the serving pieces. Lissa’s group was booked for the reception; gratis, as a wedding gift to the four of us, she said. Everything was coming together nicely, and then, our family and friends began to arrive, and I saw — really, truly saw — just how much of an emotional wreck my precious Bethany had become.

Bethany’s parents arrived first, about ten days before the ceremony. We were ready for them, Jay and I having opted on a small hotel near the film set that was the perfect size for everyone who was supposed to be coming. Of course, I hadn’t met them yet, and I was understandably nervous and trying to be at my most charming. I know that I can be appealing – I wouldn’t be so successful as an actor, in spite of my talent, if I weren’t – and yet, I was so incredibly nervous to meet Mr. and Murrow.

I knew that it had been most of a year since Bethany had seen them, and yet I was still unprepared for her reaction. She threw herself into her mother’s arms and burst into tears, and I felt my heart hit my feet as it dropped from my chest. Clearly, Bethany had been away from her family for too long, and I resolved then and there to make sure that she stayed better connected now that she was mine to take care of.

I stood next to her, her right handheld in my left, leaving my right free for shaking, of course.

“Mum, dad, this is Tom Hiddleston, my fiancé,” she said sweetly, then she turned to me and finished the introductions. “Tom, my parents, Ned and Nellie Murrow.”

I took Nellie’s hand, squeezing gently and smiling broadly, momentarily tongue tied. It was a glimpse into what Bethany might look like in a few years, and honestly, Bethany’s mum is quite incredibly lovely.

“Oh, my,” she said, sounding surprised. “Aren’t you a handsome devil?” She let me hold her hand for a moment, blinking up at me confusedly, before pulling her hand away and fanning herself, which surprised me, as I thought it was actually a bit chilly out.

She drew a deep breath before saying, “I apologize for every unkind thought I have had, Bethany, dear. I can definitely see how you had difficulty resisting him, if this is how he behaved when you first met.” She turned back to me, giving me a look I had difficulty interpreting.

“You stop this right now, young man,” she said sharply, shaking a finger at me. “None of your devil man wiles on me, now! I’m a married woman, and immune to you.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed out loud. Evidently, she had misunderstood my expression and demeanor, but I certainly had not intended to come off as provocative in any way.

“I’m sorry,” I said, trying so hard not to laugh. “I wasn’t meaning to use my ‘devil man wiles’ on you, Mrs. Murrow. As you are Bethany’s mother, I just want you to like me.” I finally managed to get my laughter under control, and I gave her my best earnest look.

Her face softened, and she looked up at me (she’s a tiny little thing, just like Bethany). Bethany laughed, and hugged her.

“Oh, my,” she said again, her voice faint.

Bethany shot me a dirty look. “Tom,” she said warningly, frowning at me.

“What?” I asked, truly not understanding what she was meaning.

Just at that moment, Bethany’s father cleared his throat and said, “Do you suppose there are any crisps about? I’m a bit famished.” That made us all laugh, and affectively moved us on.

There, having survived my meeting with Bethany’s parents, meeting her brothers and sister couldn’t possibly be any worse.

Could it?

***

I missed it when Bethany’s brothers, Ezra and Malachi, arrived. It disappointed me, but I knew it couldn’t be helped. Ezra was Bethany’s favorite brother, and Lance’s best friend, so I was almost as nervous to meet him as I had been their parents. By the time we met up in the lounge at the hotel everyone was staying in, the butterflies were threatening to fly from my stomach right out my mouth.

“Ez, Mal,” Bethany said, her voice betraying her own nervousness, “this is Tom. Tom, my brothers Ezra and Malachi.”

I smiled, meeting their eyes in turn, and held out my hand. Malachi is one of those endearing, awkward men, a little like me, I fear, and he shook my hand, grinning at me in an absent, easy way. “Hey, mate,” he said. “Loved you in War Horse.”

“It’s his favorite movie,” Bethany whispered. “He must have seen it more than fifty times.”

“It’s my favorite movie,” Mal said eagerly. “I must have seen it over…” his voice trailed off as he realized Bethany was laughing at him. I was trying not to, but his face was so priceless that I’m afraid I lost it.

“She just said that exact same thing, didn’t she?” Mal asked, resigned. “I don’t know how she always manages to do that…”

Our exchange had Ezra smirking, and he grabbed my hand, pumping it up and down. His grip was like iron; being a rancher may have had something to do with that, I suppose.

“You know I’m Bethany’s favorite brother,” he murmured, his voice pitched deliberately low so that only I would hear. “I can see that you make her happy, but if you ever hurt her, well, just know that your life as you know it would be over.”

“I can assure you, that’s not going to happen, Ezra,” I said, my voice pitched equally lowly. “I feel the same way about Bethany’s happiness as you do; probably more so.” I looked him straight in the eye. “I’d take out anyone who hurt her, Ezra. And I’d die for her.”

Ezra looked at me for a minute, before taking a deep breath, his rigid posture relaxing. “That’s OK then,” he said, giving me a little half-smile that reminded me so much of Bethany. “It’s good to meet you finally, Tom.”

I grinned. “It’s good to meet you, too, Ezra,” I said, drawing him to me for a one-armed man hug.

***

My mum arrived, with my sister Emma and her new fiancé in tow.

“Oh, Tom, I’m so excited to see my little boy getting married,” my mum said, tears in her eyes. “And a new grandchild on the way. Oh, I’m so happy.” Poor mum was sobbing, so I wrapped her in my arms, meeting Em’s eyes over her head.

“She’s been this way since we got engaged,” Em said, smirking. “Between you and me, we’ve quite unbalanced her.”

Mum pulled away sniffing. “Well, it’s not every day that one child gets engaged, and another gets married and tells you he’s going to be a father! I think I’m entitled. And don’t talk about me like I’m not here!” she said, finishing strong. Of course we all laughed.

***

Luke and Lance were next. My friend was almost glowing. Whilest Lance swept Bethany up in a huge hug, I reconnected with the man who had been such a public part of my life for so long. We shook hands, which of course turned into a man embrace. I stepped back, eying him happily.

“I don’t even have to ask if it’s serious,” I said with a smile. “I can tell it by the look on your face, even the way you carry your body. Lance is obviously good for you, Luke.”

Luke grinned. He _grinned!_ “Yes, Tom,” he said quietly. “And I owe Bethany a huge apology, and clearly she is making you happy as well.”

“I can honestly say that I am happier right now, this very minute, than I have ever been in my entire life,” I said softly. “And it only gets better each passing minute. I’ve found in Bethany everything I’ve ever wanted. I can’t imagine my life without her.” I looked over to where she stood chatting with Lance, and Luke’s gaze followed mine.

“I know what you mean,” he said quietly. “I’m going to ask Lance to marry me.”

I swung to face him, delighted. “You sly dog!” I crowed.

“Not so loud!” Luke protested worriedly, his eye snapping back to Lance and Bethany. He needn’t have worried; they were too busy catching up with each other to pay any attention to us.

“Sorry,” I said, chuckling. “You just surprised me with that.”

“Me too,” he admitted sheepishly. “When you told me that you and Bethany were getting married, I thought you were crazy, rushing into it like that. And then, when I found out that she was pregnant, I thought you were the world’s biggest sap. I thought… well, I thought she’d done it on purpose, to trap you. It’s the oldest trick in the book, after all. I even wondered if the child was actually even yours.”

I rounded on him, bristling. “She showed me the letter from her doctor’s office,” I snapped. “It was postmarked and everything, you know. And she was the reluctant one.”

“I know, I know,” he said placatingly. “That’s why I say I owe her an apology. And besides, I understand now. I love Lance, and I want to build a life with him, and it’s been too fast, and I’m scared, but I’d want to curl up and die if I lost him now. I even want to have children with him.” He bit his lip. “I want us to adopt.”

“Oh, Luke, that’s wonderful,” I said. I wiped my eyes as tears started.

“Fuck, Tom, not waterworks,” he said, looking at me resignedly.

“Sorry, it’s contagious,” I said, gazing over at Bethany and Lance, who were both doing the same.

***

It was good to see my sister Sarah and her husband Yakov and their little ones. The three of them were instantly all over me. I can say with no small modesty that I am their favorite uncle. I am, in fact, their only uncle, but I know that if they had others, I’d still be their favorite.

“She’s very pretty, uncle,” my niece, Sophia, said taking my hand. The twins, who are just babies still, continued to climb all over me, but I swung Sophia up into my arms, whirling her about.

“Yes, Sophia, she certainly is!” I said, agreeing heartily with her. “And how would you like to have a baby cousin?”

Her little face puckered a little. “Would it be like the twins? Because they aren’t a lot of fun.”

“Maybe not yet,” I said sympathetically, juggling the three of them as I headed over to where Sarah stood talking to Bethany, appearing to be in interrogation mode. “After all, they’re just babies still. But when they get a little older, well, they should be quite a bit of fun.”

“Oh, OK,” she said, squirming to get down. Ah, the attention span of a four-year-old. I set her on her feet and she took off running, Yakov trailing off in her wake. Bethany was saying something as I approached them, and then she leaned against me for a moment before meeting my eyes. Hers followed after Yakov and Sophia, and she only hesitated for a moment before chasing off after them.

“Yakov’s so good with Sophia,” I murmured to Sarah, now that she had finally stopped pumping Bethany for information.

“Yes,” she said, gazing after them fondly. She sighed, then looked me in the eye. “I like your Bethany,” she said, smirking. “She loves you very much.”

“I like to think so,” I admitted. “I’m deliriously happy.”

“Tom, I can tell, and I’m so glad!” she said, hugging me fiercely. “I was so afraid that, with the way your work always absorbs you, that you would never slow down enough to find someone. I was worried that you’d end up alone. But now you have Bethany, and a little one on the way! And, Tom, you’re going to be the best father. Aside from Yakov, that is!”

I chuckled. “Yes Sarah, I certainly am!” I returned, with a smirk of my own.

***

People continued to arrive, and I was missing Chris more than ever. But I like to think of myself as a keen observer of people, and I got a tremendous kick out of watching the drama and romance untold. Bethany, who was the youngest, was the first of her siblings to fall. But as more and more of our friends and family joined us, it became obvious that she wasn’t the only one. Evidently Ezra had recently gotten engaged to the lady who ran their local diner, a widow with two small children Bethany had met her, and approved whole-heartedly, and it looked as if we would be attending their wedding around Christmas time. I felt myself go all misty when I realized that, not only would Bethany and I be married by then, but we would actually be parents.

Bethy’s next two brothers fell in rapid succession, as Jay’s sister Taylor arrived with Clarice’s cousin Tina. They were clearly close friends, and had chosen to travel together. Tina and I bonded instantly. She is such a lively, vivacious girl, brimming with energy and enthusiasm. She reminds me of — well, me! She treated me as a brother right from the start, and I was more than happy to step into that role. She didn’t fan-girl in the slightest, even though she clearly knew who I was, and I didn’t think anything of it, until I saw the way she was around Malachi.

Of Bethany’s brothers, Mal was the most awkward; shy, quiet, a bit of a nerd, I guess, for all that he was a burly rancher in the Pacific Northwest. But Bethany had told me that he didn’t have girlfriends, and that she figured that he was probably gay. Cute, bouncy Tina put a permanent end to that speculation, as Bethany’s British cowboy brother was obviously head over heels at first sight.

For her part, Tina was overwhelmed at the feeling he sparked in her, she told me, as strangely, I was the one she turned to for advice.

“I don’t know him well,” I told her. “Just what Bethany has told me. I know he’s a rancher in Central Oregon. I know he’s originally from London. I know that he’s shy and never dates. But Bethany says he likes you!”

“Oh, Tom, what do I do?” she said, wringing her hands. “I’ve just met him, and I don’t know hardly anything about him, and I’ve never felt this way about anyone! Tell me I’m being silly. Tell me to stop thinking about what living on a ranch in Central Oregon would be like. Tom, talk some sense into me!”

I couldn’t help leveling her with an ironic look. “Honey, you’re here for my wedding. I first met my fiancée only a couple of months ago. I am probably the absolutely last person you should be asking for this type of advice. Might I suggest your cousin Clarice?”

“Gosh, Tom, of course. How silly of me,” she said, smacking herself in the forehead with her palm. “I’m sorry. I’m off to that then.”

Oh good. So that was Tina. Not a fan girl, suddenly in love with Bethany’s geeky older brother, and I am OK with that.

Now, Jay’s sister, Taylor, on the other hand… And come on, the girl is an actress, and gorgeous, and has met many glamourous stars, including, of course, James Franco, who is one of her brother’s best friends, and even though the man is a total goof, I think most women would agree that he is quite good looking. So I didn’t notice at first, and I treated her with the same kindness and courtesy with which I routinely treat everyone, and it wasn’t until I recognized that something was off with Bethany — that she stiffened up every time Taylor came around — that I realized that there might be a problem.

“She’s totally star-struck, Tom,” Bethany practically spat at me when I asked her what was wrong. “She’s acting just like Jennifer did, and you’re just encouraging her with your behavior!”

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked incredulously. “She’s got to have met a lot more interesting celebrities than me! She probably doesn’t even know who I am!”

“Oh, trust me, Tom, she knows,” Bethany said flatly.

“Well, if you’re sure,” I replied uncertainly. “I’ll change the way I act around her.”

And I did, but I still didn’t quite believe it, until Jay actually said something to me.

“Hey, Tom, I’m sorry about Taylor,” was what he said. “I’ve talked to her, and made her promise to stop bothering you. She didn’t really mean anything by it, she’s just really a fan girl. I told her she was upsetting Bethany, and then she felt pretty bad, because she really is a nice girl.”

Nevertheless, I was wary and walked on eggshells until something happened that changed everything! The arrival of Daniel, Bethany’s attorney brother from Chicago. He and their sister Rebekah had traveled together, and so I finally had met the entire family. I knew that Bethany and Daniel hadn’t seen each other for quite a while, so I wanted to give them some privacy, so what happened the day he got there is something I only know because Bethany told me.

According to her, Taylor and Daniel took one look at each other, and connected instantly. What is it about these Murrow siblings? First, Bethany and I, then Mal and Tina, and now, Daniel and Taylor. I guess Ezra wasn’t so instantaneous, and the jury was still out on Rebekah, but three out of five are pretty good odds.

***

So, filming was still going well, we were starting to become surrounded by our friends and family, and all was very right with my world. I was in love, and I was going to marry the girl of my dreams. I was reasonably young, ridiculously healthy, and happier than I had any expectation of being.

Things were going wonderfully.

And then, Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jonah Hill showed up.

Can you say chaos?


	67. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See, I really was working on this! Yeah, this chapter was really hard. I think I’m ready to write the wedding! Story’s almost over now. Hope y’all enjoy it, and thanks for reading!

Chapter 67

A friend of mine once described it as The Three Stooges Take Cambridge, but it was really more like The Five Stooges, because Jay and Tom were just as bad, if not worse! Um, and if I’m honest, I didn’t exactly remain innocent. All right, call it The Six Stooges…

On-set pranks are a performing tradition, whether it is live theater, television, or film; and actors and crew alike are all contributors to the mayhem. Of course, Seth, Ted, and Jonah weren’t on set. Not at first, anyway. So, to start with, there were stories about how they caused chaos at the hotel where all of our wedding guests were staying. I’m not going to say which of them was the ring leader, but I have my suspicions.

Of course, I knew it was going to be bad. We all did. And I was under enough stress as it was. So, the day they arrived, I decided to just relax and go with it. The wedding was going to happen, no matter what. And it would be perfect, no matter what, because I was marrying Tom, and that was the only thing that was really important.

Clarice assured me that Seth, Ted, and Jonah all loved Jay, and that they wouldn’t do anything that would actually cause harm or damage, and when she spoke of them, it was with genuine affection. So, I resolved to just relax and see what would happen. And, if I’m honest, I have to admit: I’m a huge fan.

Ted – James Franco’s closest friends call him that — is gorgeous! He oozes charisma and sex appeal, and when we were introduced, I was momentarily tongue-tied. Tom was adorably jealous, stiffening beside me and unconsciously squeezing my hand too hard before he snapped out of it and shot Ted a dirty look.

Jonah is cute, and he’s actually the most subdued of the three, almost quiet, but that’s deceptive; he’s smart, and he uses that subtlety to disarm. He’s clever and witty, and can come off as either shy or arrogant, and he’s amazingly good at both!

Seth… Oh Seth. Did you know that he’s married? And that his wife Lauren is absolutely stunning? Well, he is, and she is! In real life, he is just about the way he is in his movies: cute, quirky, funny, and charming. He and Lauren are very affectionate with each other, and they make a lovely couple.

Having met them all, and liking what I’d seen, I had high hopes that I had been anticipating trouble that would never actually occur. That, of course, was wishful thinking, as I’d allowed myself to feel a false sense of complacency.

At first, it was silly school-boy stuff, like swapping the salt for the sugar. The thing is, they were seemingly everywhere, and it appeared to be ALL of the salt and ALL of the sugar; not only at the guests’ hotel, but at the inn and on set as well. And, I swear, they hadn’t even visited the set yet, and I never saw them at the inn! And yet, I was one of the victims who had to spit out salty coffee, in both the inn and on set.

Next, we heard about a rash of short sheetings which occurred at the guests’ hotel, a feat which is still marveled at to this day. (I confess, I got the secret out of Ted. He told me that he’d pretended to be drunk, and had charmed the house keeper into letting him into all of the different rooms, telling her he didn’t remember which one was his. Of course, if anyone had complained, the poor woman would have lost her job. Fortunately, no one did. And I’ve kept this secret for Ted — until now!)

Next up was a horribly dirty trick, that again happened not only at the guests’ hotel, but at the inn and on set, too. I’m speaking, of course, of the infinitely nasty prank of putting plastic cling wrap over the toilet bowl but underneath the seat. Bad enough if you’re male, thoroughly awful indeed if you’re female. The good news is, they confined it to the public washrooms. The bad news is, that’s all we had on set. Clarice was the first to fall afoul of this dirty trick, and the shriek she let out as she bolted from the washroom during a break in filming, is legendary. By the time the third or fourth person came rushing out of their stall, the jig was up and we knew what to look for; the evil traps were dismantled, and life went on once again.

Once the boys were actually on set, of course all hell broke loose. Danny and Davy had given permission for them to come and visit, because, what small, independent filmmaker in their right mind, would refuse to have an opportunity to meet with such well-established and successful filmmaking icons as Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jonah Hill? All three of them are arguably amazing talents, and I could tell that both Danny and Davy were thrilled to meet them all, especially Davy, who was vociferous about what an honor it was to meet another so well-respected Canadian film artist.

Ted couldn’t stay off camera. He kept popping up in the film version of photo-bombing. Fortunately, all the scenes on which he pulled this stunt were scenes that could absorb it, as we didn’t have budget to be doing too many multiple takes. Jay finally had to take him aside and tell him to knock it off. Even Seth seemed a little put out with him, although that didn’t stop Seth from actually doing it himself a couple of times!

Fortunately, they weren’t on set for very long, but the two days that they were there were so crazy. Besides the video bombing on the first day, the second day they somehow got to the catering crew, persuading them to withhold most of the food, trying to make us think there was only fruit and vegetables that day. It wasn’t until Danny took the caterers aside and managed to pry the truth out of them, that we got the rest of our food. And of course, they then brought out our sandwiches and donuts.

So then, Tom and Jay got into the act, somehow convincing Kate and Jennifer that there were major script revisions that would require them to go topless. The girls were both actually ready to peel their shirts off, when Davy caught them. Tom and Jay collapsed in paroxysms of laughter, and even Jenn and Kate laughed, although Clarice and I looked at each other and vowed to make their evening a little more interesting.

By the end of the day, I had had it. It felt like it was my turn to pull a prank. When Jay and Tom came to me for their last touchup, I made my move: clown make up. Well, at least, white faces, dark eyebrows, and bright red cheeks and lips. Tom was in the wash room while I worked on Jay, so he totally missed it, or it wouldn’t have worked. But, when Tom finally came out of the washroom, having fallen victim to a plastic cling wrapped toilet, which apparently had made a comeback that day, he was already distracted. When he came up to me, sputtering about the incident and the clean-up, I felt totally guilty for what I was about to do to him…

No, I didn’t, I’m lying! After the Jenn and Kate topless thing, I didn’t feel guilty at all! I applied white face powder, bright pink spots of color to his cheeks, ridiculously black eyebrows, and bright red lips. I ran my hand through his hair, the way I always do, but he didn’t realize that, this time, I left it standing on end, instead of smoothing it back into place. I’d already done this all to Jay, and now, the two of them finally really did look like twins!

Of course, when Jay and Tom got a look at each other, the cat was out of the bag. Tom’s signature laugh rang out, until he realized that I’d done a number on him, too. He stalked over to me, looking exactly like a giant five-year-old: eyes scrunched up, lower lip pouting, fists clenched.

“How could you?” he huffed. “You’re supposed to love me. What’s up with this?” He gestured towards his face.

“Don’t be silly,” I said affectionately. “You know I love you.” I began to remove the bright make up with removal wipes, running my fingers through his hair to put it back into some semblance of order. “I got Danny’s permission ahead of time, you know. He was going to call a wrap now anyway.” I couldn’t help laughing, and after a moment, Tom joined me.

“Touché, Bethy,” Tom said, pulling me to him and kissing me. “I guess you’d better hurry with me, so that you can fix Jay.”

“I think Clarice has got him covered,” I said, looking over to where Clarice was working over Jay with her own removal wipes. She wasn’t making very good progress, though, because she kept stopping to laugh, doubling over and holding her sides every few seconds. Jay stood placidly, a little smile playing about his lips, and I winked at him. He winked back, clearly taking my little joke a lot better than Tom had.

And we had arrived at less than a week before the wedding. Chris Hemworth arrived at long last with his beautiful wife Elsa and their three adorable little ones, and I got to meet my Flower Girl, India. She’s such a cute little girl, and when she ran to me, hugging me and calling me Aunt Bethany, my heart melted, and I knew why Tom loves her so. Everyone was here now, and I could feel the excitement clear down to my toes.

And it was totally wonderful watching Tom with Chris. Oh my goodness, they are so totally brothers! Tom and Jay are close; Tom and Chris are closer. They pounded on each other’s backs, and ran off to get a pint. Tom shot me a pleading, questioning look as they left together, and I gave him an understanding nod and a thumbs up, grinning. He needed his guy time with his best mate, and it gave me an excuse to have a girls’ night in.

The next day was the Saturday before the wedding, and Clarice and I had a date to meet with all of the girls to have the final fitting and to pick up their Bride’s Maid’s dresses. Because she didn’t have a car, I was borrowing Tom’s Jag and picking up Bekah at the guests’ hotel. Emma, Kate, and Jennifer had already had their final fittings, and Clarice was picking up Tina and Taylor and meeting us at the shop. I was a few minutes early as I got into the elevator and hit the button for Bekah’s floor. When the elevator stopped, I got out and made my way down the corridor, knocking on her door once I arrived.

No answer, and no sounds of movement coming from inside. I rechecked the guest room list that I had stored on my phone; no, this was the right room. I was about to knock again, when a door several rooms down the corridor slowly opened and my sister stepped out, carrying her shoes in her hand. She looked untidy, like she had just dressed in a hurry, and she seemed groggy and had freshly-fucked hair. She didn’t notice me at first, and came tiptoeing down the hallway.

She did a double-take when she saw me, and I’ll have to admit, I wasn’t aware that she was capable of blushing quite that bright a red.

“Did I get the wrong room?” I asked wryly, my brows raised.

“Well, no,” she said guiltily, pulling a key card out of her pocket. “This is the right room…”

She was just getting ready to unlock it, to let us in, when the door to the room she had just come out of opened again, and a man, dressed only in red plaid boxer shorts, stepped out into the hall holding what looked like a lady’s purse.

“Bekah, honey, you forgot your p…,” he began, sputtering to a halt once he noticed me standing there with Bekah. “Oh, hello, Bethany,” he said quietly, not quite able to meet my eyes.

I bit my lip as I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a snicker. “Hullo, Jonah,” I said.


	68. Tom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s very close to being done. I’ve loved writing it. Tom’s chapter – almost 3000 words… Enjoy!

Chapter 68, Tom

Don’t listen to Bethany; it wasn’t that bad. Well, maybe it was, although I have been on sets where it was much worse. And, I personally, was fairly well behaved, because, of course, when I am playing the god of mischief, I am much more… uh, mischievous. Which isn’t to say that I was all innocence on this particular film. I’m just saying that it wasn’t nearly as chaotic as I fear it could have been. At least as far as anyone knows. Um, yes…

But you have to have on-set pranks. Wherever you have performers: actors, directors, technicians, and such, you always have silly stunts, because, the truth is, its hard work. And something has to be done to lighten the mood, or one goes crazy! But, of course, Seth, James, and Jonah are a law unto themselves. You would expect three such iconic comic performers to really cut loose and wreak total havoc, and they really didn’t, at least not to my standards.

So, I think we all speculated about what sort of things they would do, because they are all so legendary, but Jay assured me that they were only here for him, to attend the wedding, as part of the wedding party, of course. And they all knew that Clarice would have their heads on pikes if they did anything to ruin our nuptials. Plus, we both of us, Jay and I, made sure that they understood just how short and skinny the shoestring that was our budget for this film, really was. All three of them understand such things – after all, they are all three of them business men, and much more financially successful than either Jay or I.

But, as worried as I knew Bethany was, I myself felt very little trepidation. They’re all quite pleasant fellows, around my own age, meaning they are all older than Bethany. Especially James, who really is quite a bit older, almost ten years, almost an old man… All right, I know, Bethany has already said that I was jealous, and I will admit to that. We met all three of them together, and right away, it was ‘Seth this and Jonah that, and Mr. Franco, so pleased to meet you, um, er.’ Mr. Franco! Well, so I remember what that means, when Bethany starts referring to a man as ‘mister!’ I’m afraid I may have been less than gracious, but I’m sure my bad mood didn’t last too long.

And Jonah is the most successful of us all. I confess, the man is an enigma to me. He’s very skilled: quite good at comedy, of course, but he has done some tremendous dramatic work as well. And, my goodness, he’s a bit of a dark horse as well, in more ways than one, which I know Bethany plans to expound more upon in her next chapter. Suffice it for me to say here, that things are not always as they appear, and people can surprise you! And if I say anything more about this now, my charming and lovely bride is going to have my head… or worse, ahem, and we all know that I am hoping for several children. Yes, well.

So, I can tell you that the fact that Seth is married was surprising to me, but he and his gorgeous wife Lauren are a truly delightful couple, and it was very fun to be around them. If Bethany and I could have that easy, friendly camaraderie after a few years of marriage – well, there are worse ways to be.

So, once we had met the three of them, I knew that Bethany heaved a mental sigh of relief, thinking that she had been worried all out of proportion, that she’d been imagining a tempest in a tea pot. I let her think that. For a little while.

***

“Ugh,” Bethany said, running to the sink to spit out her mouthful of coffee.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking up from the newspaper I was reading. We weren’t expected on set til a little later that day, and Bethany, Jay, Clarice, and I were taking advantage of the morning to have a nice, leisurely breakfast.

Bethany didn’t say anything, she just dumped her coffee down the drain and stalked back to the table, taking up the sugar bowl and scooping a little of the contents into her palm. She dipped her finger into it, touching it to her tongue, and then returning to the sink to rinse off her hands. She went to the cupboard and brought two clean cups, then took her seat at the table, reaching for the saltshaker. She sprinkled some of that into her hand, tasting it the way she had the sugar. Her mouth twisted, and I watched her as silently she dumped the salt into one of the clean cups, the sugar into the other, and then she swapped them.

“Um, Bethany…?” I asked questioningly.

She held up a hand to me, palm out. “Just don’t,” she said shortly, her lips pressed together in a firm line.

“But, what…?” I started.

“Oh, come on, Tom,” Bethany snapped. “Obviously, someone switched the salt with the sugar.”

I didn’t say anything else, but when I felt my lips twitch, I – rather wisely, I think – just got up and poured her another cup of coffee.

We got to the set later that day, on time. And filming went great. We all knew it was mostly all over except for the shouting – that is, the wedding, of course. At the first break, Jay and I headed for Bethany, who was just returning from the coffee station. She handed Jay and I each a cup – black unsweetened for Jay, white unsweetened for me – before sipping from her own. Immediately, she was spitting out the mouthful into the handful of napkins she had thankfully grabbed.

“Fucking fuck!” she yelled, stalking back over to the coffee station, once more checking out the sugar bowl. “How is this even possible?” I heard her mutter as I came up behind her. “Those jokers haven’t been to the inn, and they haven’t been on set yet, so how…?”

“Something the matter, Bethy?” I asked tentatively, not wanting to make her angrier than she already was.

“I just want to know how they did it.” She was still muttering, her hands fisted, as she stomped over to talk to Jay. I pressed my hand over my mouth so she wouldn’t see me laughing.

During a later break that afternoon, Jay and I were standing with Bethany and Clarice, when Clarice excused herself to use the washroom. She wasn’t gone too terribly long, when we heard an awful shriek coming from inside. Clarice came bolting out and ran straight to Jay, cuffing him on the shoulder.

“Your asshole fucking friends have gone too far,” she spat.

“What?” Jay asked, blinking rather stupidly, if he’ll forgive my saying so.

“They’ve saran wrapped the ladies’ toilet,” she said in disgust.

There was a mild commotion in the direction from whence she had come, and when the smoke had cleared, it was discovered that all the toilets on set had been pranked. Of course, we all pitched in to disassemble them, but later, when we all returned to the inn, we discovered that the merry prankster had been at work there, as well. That was a tough day for Bethany, but I was able to calm her down that night. We were being celibate, but I still got to hold and kiss her!

I think things were worse at the guests’ hotel, as you can probably imagine. They had the same issue with the sugar and salt, and the toilets, as we had, plus apparently James conned some poor housekeeper into allowing him into a lot of the rooms, where he supposedly demonstrated superior short sheeting skills (yes, I’ve just gotten this story out of Bethany. How she kept it from me this long, well, I just don’t know!)

It was difficult to imagine things actually getting worse on set, but of course, once the boys actually came to visit, things did. I’m pretty sure that Danny and Davy actually considered out-and-out denying them access, but they hadn’t even been on set yet, and the place was already rife with pranks. The boys are too well respected to be refused, and I think both Danny, and especially Davy, were unbelievably excited to meet them, so, of course, they were allowed to visit.

After a lecture about just how small our budget actually was, and all three of them promising their best behavior, they were let loose on our set. James immediately began photo–bombing all of our takes, repeatedly. The man loves the sight of his own his pretty face on camera. I saw Danny take Jay aside, and then, shortly after that, Jay look James aside. But it was only after that that the man settled down. Honestly, some people. I was grateful to Seth, who I think only did it once or twice, and to Jonah, who I don’t think did it at all. And well, Jonah was quite distracted anyway, which I didn’t think much of at the time, although with what we found out later, it now makes perfect sense.

The second day they got to the catering crew, somehow convincing them to withhold our food. Believe it or not, filming is hard work, and nutrition and staying hydrated are so important on set, so as to avoid light-headiness and other consequences. Although I consider myself something of an athlete, I am always willing to do whatever it takes for authenticity. Eating considerably less than I usually do, and running ten miles up backroads hills every day when I was filming ‘I Saw The Light’ was brutal, but the results were worth it. I am lucky though, and I was quickly able to get back my, um, ‘attractively ripped physique,’ as Bethany so affectionately puts it, in rather short order.

But when the catering crew announced that they had no protein for us, there was almost a mutiny among the crew. This was not one of those films. Danny had to step in and sort it out, and the high-fives and back slaps amongst the three ‘guests’ to set, let us know who was behind the thing in the first place. I don’t think anyone was very surprised, and it was all quite mild, comparatively.

But, of course, Jay and I could only take so much without wanting to get involved ourselves. I don’t remember which of us came up with the idea that it would be fun to convince Jen and Kate that Danny and Davy wanted them to film the next scene topless. Having studied the Classics, I have had quite a bit of experience with written art, um, that is, penmanship. I was able to forge a reasonable facsimile of Danny’s handwriting onto one of the day’s master script sheets, and the girls totally bought it. They were all set to peel off their tops – which I admit as a functioning human male, I would have found most, ‘uplifting,’ shall we say – when Davy, seeing it, came rushing over. Jay and I couldn’t help laughing uncontrollably, although we could both tell, from the look on Clarice and Bethany’s faces, that we would without a doubt, hear about it later.

After that, I had to be a lot more diligent, or I knew that I would be caught. I set myself up with a cellophaned toilet, pretending to be a victim, so as to throw suspicion off of me. I was aware that Bethany was pretty close to the end of her patience, as I had been on a roll all day. I knew that no one suspected me, and I wanted to keep it that way.

But, I had evidently underestimated just how annoyed my Bethy was. I won’t say I didn’t deserve what she did to me, but I might defend Jay, since… well, actually, he was pretty much totally innocent. That’s all I’m going to say about that, yeah.

So, at the last break, I quickly set up the toilets, bolting out of the washroom, pretending to be thoroughly disgusted. Bethany had already finished with Jay, and he was over talking to Clarice, his back to me, so I sat in the chair and closed my eyes wearily and let Bethany take care of me. And, take care of me she did! As I approached Jay and he turned around, I laughed loudly when I saw what Bethany had done to him. Hair spiked into place, white face, black eyebrows, and bright red cheeks and lips. It looked so funny, and I was amazed that Clarice was able to hold a straight face as she spoke with him and kissed him just as I joined them.

At first, I wasn’t sure why Jay laughed at me, too, until Clarice finally lost it, laughing like a hyena as she held out hand mirrors to us both. When I got a look, I was instantly irritated with Bethany, never mind that I myself had already been pulling pranks on set, and at the inn, for three days straight. I self-righteously hustled over to her.

“How could you?” I growled, hands on hips. “You’re supposed to love me. What’s up with this?” I said, circling my hand in front of my face.

“Don’t be silly,” she said fondly. “You know I love you.” She began gently working me over with removal wipes, and running her fingers through my hair. “I got Danny’s permission ahead of time, you know. He was going to call a wrap now anyway.” She bit her lip, laughing infectiously at me, and after a moment, I laughed too. It was a pretty good trick, after all, that I had helped myself fall into, by setting myself up with the cellophaned toilet debacle.

So, I said, “Touché, Bethy,” pulling her to me and kissing her soundly. “I guess you’d better hurry with me, so that you can fix Jay.”

“I think Clarice has got him covered,” she said, and we both looked over to where Clarice was attempting to remake Jay. I don’t think she was trying very hard, as she seemed to be finding it extremely funny, if her uproarious laughter was an accurate indication. I couldn’t believe how patiently Jay was taking it, as he just stood there with a placid little smile on his face. I couldn’t help uncharitably thinking that he was a man who was well and truly pussy-whipped.

Everything was in place for a truly amazing wedding, and I know that everyone involved was unbelievably excited. Except that my Best Man had still not arrived. Every once in a while, some people are lucky enough to meet someone with whom they connect instantly. It doesn’t happen to everyone; it is a rare and precious thing. It happened for me and Chris. The very second our eyes met and we shook hands, I knew that we had known each other before. Not in this life, but in some misty, primal realm Before. You may take that as you may, but I will tell you that Chris and I have one of those relationships that will weather whatever time may throw at it. We hadn’t seen each other for a while, at this point, but I knew that it wouldn’t matter. When he finally arrived and we got together, it would be as if we had just seen each other yesterday.

We now had less than a week before the wedding. Bethany was more and more beautiful to my besotted eyes, and I was more and more anxious to make her my bride. And Chris still wasn’t here! Of course, I was a bit apprehensive; anticipation was hovering about my fingertips, and I was wanting everything to be in place. Plus, of course I was wanting to share my joy with my best mate, the man who was the closest thing to a brother that I had over known.

Finally, the day arrived that brought Chris, along with the beautiful, glamorous Elsa and their adorable, blond-haired brood. Chris is a lucky man, which he will be the first to tell you. He doesn’t take it for granted, and he is a wonderful husband and father. Much has been made of the fact that I am particularly close to his little daughter, India, a truly bright and precocious little angel. Apparently, she had seen footage of Bethany and me together on the telly, and decided that she, India, should be our Flower Girl. When Chris and Elsa and the three little ones were finally able to meet up with us, I was ready for India, and I held my hands out to catch her, because she is wont to throw herself at me when she sees me, as we are that close. Imagine my surprise, when instead of me that she launched herself at, it was actually Bethany who was required to sweep up the rascal in her arms! India ran right to her, her cries of “Aunt Bethany! Aunt Bethany!” echoing in the small lobby of the inn. Of course, Bethany was instantly charmed, and I knew that we had a perfect Flower Girl.

Finally, everyone was here, everything was in place, I had pulled the best pranks of my career (and had bloody well gotten away with it!), and I had the most amazing woman prepared to marry me.

I was more than ready for this.


	69. Bethany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m super-happy with this chapter, so I hope you all will be too.

Chapter 69, Bethany

The three of us stood there a moment, Jonah and Bekah radiating embarrassment, and something else that I didn’t stop to examine right then, with me trying, but mostly failing, not to laugh. Finally, Jonah strode down the hall to us, still in just his underwear, but for all the world like he owned the place, handed Bekah her purse, gently took the keycard from her fingers, and said, “Well, this is awkward.” 

He swiped the card in the door and pushed it open, stepping back and motioning for Bekah and me to enter. After a moment, I did so, and the two of them followed after me, and Jonah pulled the door closed. I turned back around in time to see Bekah shoot him a loving glance, and drop a quick kiss on his mouth.

Whoa, wait a minute. What the hell is going on? I must have actually said that out loud, because Jonah put his hand to the small of Bekah’s back and led her over to the small couch, where he seated her, then sat down beside her, taking her hand and entwining their fingers.

“Why don’t you sit down, Bethany?” he said placatingly, and after a beat or two, I did. Once the three of us were settled, my sister sighed and bit her lip.

“Um, obviously Jonah and I know each other,” she began, and I relaxed a little, relieved that this apparently was not some kind of one night stand.

“You mean, from before?” I asked in confirmation. “You didn’t just hook up here at my wedding?” I realized that I sounded scandalized.

“Noo-ooo… no,” Jonah said, looking subtly offended. I noticed that he had his arm around Bekah, and neither one of them was acting as if this were just a hook-up.

I relaxed even further, and eyed them expectantly. “Well, come on, you guys, then: spill,” I said, still trying not to giggle. “What’s up with you two?”

Bekah met my eyes, and I suddenly knew what I look like when other people see me when I’m with Tom. My sister was deeply in love – with Jonah Hill. And from the looks of it, her feelings were returned.

“Wait,” I said, a giddy happiness for my sister bubbling up inside of me. “How do you two even know each other? And how long has this been going on?”

Bekah’s eyes were shining, and she leaned into Jonah’s shoulder. “We met at the U.N. just over a year ago,” she said happily. “Your Tom isn’t the only man who makes endorsements or supports causes, you know. Jonah was there to film a little promotional piece, and I was assigned as his escort.”

“At first, Bekah didn’t like me,” Jonah said, giving her a loving look, reaching up and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before continuing. “But, I liked her right away.”

“I thought he was just a rich and silly spoiled actor, trying to make himself feel better,” Bekah admitted, her cheeks faintly pink. “But, after a while, I could tell that he genuinely cared…”

“I want to help, to make a difference in the world,” Jonah said quietly.

“You sound like Tom,” I said with a goofy smile at the thought of my adorable, dorky man.

Bekah smiled and kissed Jonahs’s cheek. “Anyway,” she said, “at the end of the day, he asked me out to dinner, and I said yes.”

“And you’ve been together ever since?” I asked.

“Well, no,” Bekah said. “That first dinner really didn’t go that well. He went back to his life and I promptly forgot about him…”

“I didn’t forget about you,” Jonah murmured, looking into her eyes before brushing his lips against her forehead. “The next time that I was in New York, I went back to the U.N. and asked for her, but I couldn’t remember her last name…”

“Do you know how many Rebekahs work at the U.N.?” Bekah said with a grin.

“So, I sat down outside, to wait for her to come out,” Jonah said. “And miraculously, eventually she did!”

“He sat there for almost six hours,” Bekah said on a sigh. “In New York. In February.”

“Oh, Bekah,” I said dreamily, because, come on, that’s pretty damn romantic.

“And I was finally able to convince her to give me the time of day!” Jonah said happily. “And this whole thing – Tom, and Jay, and Bekah, and you – is just such an amazing coincidence.”

I felt totally flummoxed, and I flopped back in my chair, just gazing back and forth between the two of them. “So how long have you actually been together?” I finally asked. “And does anyone – do mom and dad – know?”

Bekah bit her lip, looking at me beseechingly. “Bethany, no one knows about us yet,” she said quietly. “I just couldn’t think of a good way to bring it up, and then, I didn’t want to steal your thunder, but, Bethany, the thing is… uh, I mean, um, Jonah and me… well, we’re really, uh…”

“What your sister is trying to say,” Jonah said gently, squeezing her shoulders, “is that we eloped about six months ago. We’re married, Bethany.”

Of all the things he could have said, that one was actually pretty close to being towards the bottom of the list. I sat there for a minute with my mouth hanging open, before shutting it with a snap.

“Oh, no way,” I said incredulously, slumping sideways in my chair. “No way… Boy, are you gonna get it when mum finds out!”

“You’re not going to say anything,” Jonah said quietly, looking me square in the eyes; it sounded like an order.

“Well, all right, no,” I agreed, slightly taken aback. “It really isn’t my secret to tell, is it? But what on earth is making you keep it?”

Jonah looked at my earnestly. “Would you believe my publicist?” he said with the Jonah Hill version of puppy eyes.

Thinking about Luke, I nodded, my lips twisted wryly. “’Nough said,” was my response. I looked over both of them. It was easy to see how much in love they were; I was surprised that I hadn’t noticed it before, it was so obvious to me now. I felt a lump in my throat over how happy my sis looked. “Well, I hope you can come up with a good way to tell the family, but I promise that they won’t hear it from me,” I said, smiling and getting to my feet. “Now, let’s go try on some dresses!”

***

After a morning spent with fittings and last minute details, during which Emma had surprised us, showing up with Kate and Jennifer in tow, which made our group complete, and was tremendous fun, we all headed back to the inn, where Nathan’s mother Anjali had outdone herself. She’d insisted on preparing a fabulous celebration luncheon, and I couldn’t believe the amounts and varieties of food she had prepared. Our little inn was full to bursting with all of the cast and crew of the film, along with all of our families and friends. It was fabulous, and as I sat, holding hands with Tom, he pulled my fingers up and brushed his lips over my knuckles.

“I love this place,” he said softly. “I think I’ll bring you here every year for our anniversary, and fifty years from now, we’ll still be as in love as we are now – _more_ than we are now – and we’ll still be coming here.”

“Oh, Tom, that’s just… that’s just so sweet. _You’re_ so sweet,” I said, and naturally, I had tears in my eyes. The last few days had been almost overwhelming, and of course, there was much more to come. The men – I suspected mostly Jay’s crew – were insisting on throwing a bachelors’ party that night, and, of course the girls had retaliated by planning a girls’ do for Clarice and me. Everyone knew that I was pregnant, so at least I personally wouldn’t have to worry about alcohol and keeping my head. I think I was expecting it to be a reasonably tame affair, and I told Tom as much, but I can’t say as that I felt the same about what the men had planned. I trusted Tom, but the rest of those jokers? Not so much. Someone had come up with the great idea to hold the men’s party at the guests’ hotel, and we girls would have ours at the inn, and that way, when I had had enough, I would be close to home. Everyone was so solicitous of me and my condition, and I felt so loved and pampered.

But if I said I was happy to know that my fiancé would be attending a bachelors’ party planned by Seth Rogan, James Franco, and Jonah Hill, I’d be lying. Knowing that Jonah was – _secretly!_ – married to my sister, and that Luke, Lance, and Chris, not to mention Ez, Mal, and Daniel, were also in on the planning, did a lot to calm my concerns, but I know that both Clarice and I had hoped that Tom and Jay would insist on just bypassing the whole thing altogether.

Before the fellows all left to make their way over to the hotel, Tom came to say goodbye. He took me in his arms, kissing my brow and cuddling me gently. He pulled back slightly and looked me earnestly in the eyes.

“Please don’t worry,” he said. “I love you, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that. I don’t care what Jay’s bunch have planned. I can only be responsible for my own behavior, and you and our baby are the most important things in the world to me. You are what I want, and I am not stupid enough to imagine that you won’t hear exactly _everything_ that goes on tonight, so, I want you to know that I plan to stay very, very sober, so that absolutely nothing that might possibly make you change your mind about me – about _us_ – will happen tonight.”

“Oh, Tom,” I said, throwing my arms around him and hugging him tightly. “Once again, you know the perfect thing to say to make me feel better about this whole boondoggle. I can’t help envisioning drunken orgies with naked strippers and lap dances, and you know I’d die if I found out that you were capable of behaving like that just a couple of days before our wedding. I’ve been so afraid. I think it might actually be a deal breaker for me.”

“I know it would be,” Tom said seriously, with not even a trace of his ever-present smile. “And that is exactly why there won’t be anything like that even remotely anywhere near me.”

“I love you!” I said fiercely, pulling his head down so that I could kiss him properly. I nuzzled my face against his for a moment, before pulling back and looking at him sheepishly. “And, I hate to ask, but if you could keep an eye on Jay, and Ez, and Jonah, I’d appreciate it…”

“Jonah?” he asked, his voice and eyebrows rising in surprise. “What’s that all about then?”

I bit my lip. “I can’t tell you, but trust me, it’s a good one. Just… Tom, just make sure all the taken men behave themselves, all right? Chris, and Seth…”

Tom chuckled, dropping a kiss on the top of my head as he gently eased out of my arms. “No guarantees about anybody else,” he said, “because, remember, I can really only be responsible for myself, but I shall certainly attempt to remain the voice of reason throughout whatever comes.”

He kissed me one last time, and then my wonderful man went to meet with the rest of his gang for their party.

***

“Porno films?” Clarice asked dryly. “ _That’s_ what you have planned?”

The dining room of the inn had been set up like a living room, with most of the tables having been removed and lot of big, comfy couches being brought in. The large flat-screen television on the wall was turned on, with the menu screen of the first film, ‘The Opening of Misty Beethoven,’ was cued up to play.

“We thought it would be better than male strippers,” Emma said, obviously embarrassed and wringing her hands. “Jennifer wanted…”

“I was willing to be convinced,” the lady in question said with a dimpled smile, coming forward and gesturing around. “Everyone make yourself comfortable. This one is a classic: porn with plot. And keep your eyes on Jamie Gillis; that man was seriously fah-ine!”

“We have all the classics,” Taylor said, coming in from the kitchen with her hands full of DVD cases. “‘Debbie Does Dallas,’ ‘The Devil In Miss Jones,’ and, of course, ‘Deep Throat.’ Some Harry Reems, John Holmes, and, as Jennifer has said, the delectable Jamie Gillis.”

“But we also have some modern stuff,” said Tina, motioning towards the console under the telly, where more DVD cases sat. “Most notably, the oh-so-delicious James Deen.”

“And there’s crisps and dips, and cookies, and sandwiches, and lots and lots beverages,” put in Kate, as she set a loaded tray down on one of the few tables left in the room. “Which of course includes plenty of soft drinks for you, Bethany.” She smiled her sweet, mischievous smile at me, and of course, predictably, I teared up.

Bekah put her arm around me, leading me over to the seat of honor, a couch that was positioned squarely in front of the telly, and pushing me down to sit next to Clarice, who was already in place. Clarice looked at me with a huge grin on her face as she accepted a plate full of goodies that Tina handed her. A moment later, Emma handed me my own plate, along with a crystal goblet filled with a very bright yellow liquid.

“Mountain Dew!” I yelled, delighted, taking a sip, as Jennifer, who was holding the telly remote, pressed play.


	70. Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can’t believe this is Chapter 70! Holy hell! Not much longer, now. So grateful to those few of you still reading! I hope you enjoy! Thanks so much!

Chapter 70, Tom

The dining room at the inn felt absolutely dead the Saturday before the wedding. All of the girls had arranged to have a final fitting, and with Bethany gone, it felt like all light had been sucked out of my universe. Realizing that I was being maudlin, I got out my phone and looked at Jay across the table.

“Let’s call the guys and have our own final fitting!” I said, grinning. I figured I probably sounded demented, but we were so close, and I was so excited, that I could almost not stand it.

“What on earth do you mean?” Jay asked, his brows drawn down in genuine puzzlement.

“Let’s get all of the guys over here in their tuxes,” I said exuberantly, “so that we can make sure that everyone is covered and looking good. I really want everything to be perfect; I know it’s important to Bethany, and I intend for this to be the only wedding I ever have! Besides, it will help the time to pass.”

Jay chuckled. “Well, I guess there that,” he said, smirking.

Within minutes, I had called Chris, and Jay had called Seth, and _they_ had agreed to gather up the wedding party from the guests’ hotel, and herd them all over to the inn. Jay and I went up to the room that we’d been sharing, to don our own tuxes. Mine was bespoke, and I knew that it looked capital, but I was surprisingly impressed with Jay’s. It fit his thin, lanky frame to perfection, although I just shook my head when I saw his shoes: all-black Converse?

“You’re not really planning on wearing those to our wedding, are you?” I asked him in disbelief, gesturing at the offending footwear. “Is Clarice really all right with that?”

He had the grace to look sheepish. “I haven’t actually mentioned it to her,” he said, his face a little pink across the cheeks.

“Well, I know for a fact that you have dress shoes with you,” I retorted. “So, you might want to ask her what she thinks about it!”

About that time, the rest of our party came bouncing in, all joyful and full of camaraderie. Chris, Luke, and Lance looked perfect, and I knew that Bethany would have no reason to complain about them, and I relaxed, knowing that my party was in good shape. Bethany’s brothers—Ezra, Malachi, and Daniel – had come along for the ride, and they stood with Lance, just looking happy to be there. I looked over at Jay’s crew, and I was pleased to see that everybody with him also really did look quite well put together, although, something wasn’t quite right, but it took me a few minutes to figure out what it was.

Just as I was about to say something, Jay said, “Hey, you guys, where’s Jonah?”

“He wasn’t in his room when we went by to fetch him,” Seth said. “We figured that he came on over ahead of us. You mean he’s not here?”

“Haven’t seen him,” Jay said, shaking his head.

“That’s weird, even for Jonah,” James said with a frown. “I hope he’s all right.”

Just then, Jonah came rushing in, a little out of breath, but his tux was quite elegant, I must say. He stopped in front of Jay, looking at him apologetically.

“Hey, I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, panting. He slowly turned a full circle, then stopped again, facing Jay. “How do I look?” he asked. “Will I do?”

I walked up to him and offered him my hand, but I couldn’t resist pulling him into a hug once he had clasped mine. Oh, I’m such a hugger!

“Jay, he cleans up nicely,” I said with a smile, and everyone laughed.

***

Once we had decided that we all looked good enough for a wedding, we all changed into more casual attire and settled down to wait for the girls to return. Anjali, Nathan’s mother, was insisting on preparing us all a lavish pre-wedding luncheon, and once everyone had arrived, we were treated to a most fantastic spread of food and drink, the like of which I don’t think I had ever seen before. It was almost too much, and while I certainly appreciated the gesture, I worried that the poor woman would exhaust herself. Pretty much everyone was there: the entire cast and crew of the movie, plus all of our wedding guests, family, and friends. But, one look at Anjali’s face showed me that it was truly a labor of love. Both she and Nathan absolutely beamed as they bustled about, serving us drinks. The meal was presented buffet style, but the two of them still took the time to talk to everyone personally. It was so impressive, and touching, and certainly, I personally had become extremely fond of everyone associated with the place, and I knew that Bethany felt the same way.

I was sitting, holding her hand, and I looked around at this quaint little room that had grown so dear over the past few weeks. The inn had truly become a home away from home, and as I kissed the back of Bethany’s fingers, I tried to give words to the joy that I was feeling.

“I love this place,” I said softly. “I think I’ll bring you here every year for our anniversary, and fifty years from now, we’ll still be as in love as we are now – _more_ than we are now – and we’ll still be coming here.”

“Oh, Tom, that’s just… that’s just so sweet. _You’re_ so sweet,” Bethany replied, with tears in her eyes. I watched her with a goofy grin. Well, what can I say? I’m so sentimental.

After such an amazing luncheon, I would have been happy to simply retire with Bethany to take a long afternoon nap, but, of course, our friends had other ideas, never mind the fact that I was sharing Room C with Jay, since Clarice’s celibacy pact. Which I had been in favor of. Being away from Bethany at night, and not having sex at all, was quite hard, pun intended. And yet, I felt that it would make for a most interesting and satisfying wedding night. But, I’m digressing…

I’m still, to this day, not sure who first had the idea of the Bachelor’s Party. All I know, is that Chris pulled me aside and informed me that it was to be that night. To be honest, I had very mixed feelings about it. After all, it’s tradition, and a rite of passage, and yet, of course, as soon as the girls found out about it, they immediately planned their own party. I was instantly consumed with jealousy, visions of naked male strippers – all of them built like Chris ‘Brick Shithouse’ Hemsworth – jumping out of cakes, assaulting my mind. Bethany tried to rather blow the thing off as being tremendously tame, and I tried to calm myself down. One thing that I knew for certain, and that did bring me a rather large dose of comfort, was that Bethany would remain scrupulously sober throughout whatever came. I knew that she would never do anything that might harm our baby, and because of that, I was able to put my jealous fears of inadequacy on hold for the night, or, at least I was able to suppress them enough that I don’t think Bethany suspected.

Anyway, the bottom line was, all of the girls would be gathering at the inn for the evening, so that Bethany could be close to home, as it were, while all of us fellows would be having our celebrations over at the guests’ hotel. I was grateful that Bethany would be staying at the inn, but I was still having concerns about what the girls had planned. Knowing that Jennifer had been involved in the planning did absolutely nothing to reassure me, and I pulled Emma aside after lunch to question her. My straight-laced sister looked at me with a crimson blush and a naughty smirk, a contrast that I will admit, I found absolutely fascinating.

“Well, no, I’m not going to tell you what we have planned,” she said mischievously. “Suffice it to say that we will be providing plenty of non-alcoholic libations for Bethany’s drinking pleasure.”

“Ah, come on, Em,” I whined. “Help a guy out here. Aren’t I still your favorite brother?”

“You’re still my _only_ brother, even after all these years,” she said, laughing, “although soon, I shall have three very delightful – and admittedly, also quite delectable! – brothers-in-law. If I hadn’t just become engaged to Jack, I’d be honestly quite intrigued by all the lovely brothers I am about to become blessed with!”

“But, the party tonight, Em…” I tried again.

“My lips are sealed, Tom,” she said, barely suppressing her laughter. She studied me for a moment, her head cocked to the side. “Wait, you’re seriously jealous, aren’t you?”

I felt my lip curl, and I looked down and shuffled my feet awkwardly. “Maybe,” I managed to get out between stiff lips.

“Oh, Tom,” Emma said solicitously, before bursting into rather unkind laughter. “I will tell you, that no live naked male bodies will be present, if that helps.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I shouted, whipping my head up to look at her suspiciously.

“That’s all I can say, Tom,” she said, biting her lip. “And it’s not like you won’t be at your own party tonight, anyway.” And she turned and flounced away.

Damn it, I hate it when she’s right. It’s not as if I hadn’t agonized over it, either. I had no idea what was planned, but I intended to keep my head clear and my wits firmly about me. I’d backed way off the liquor recently, in sympathy for Bethany, and, given the nature of our early relationship - full of misunderstandings and jealousies - I didn’t want to do anything to cause Bethany any sadness or doubt. I wasn’t going to fool myself; I knew that anything that went on tonight would go straight to her ears. We weren’t in Vegas, after all! What happened at the Bachelor’s Party would not stay in the guests’ hotel!

So, as all of the men were gathering in the lobby of the inn to depart for the party, I sought out Bethany. I needed a kiss, and to hold her, and reassure us both. I sighed, then looked into her face. I could sense her unease, and I didn’t like the uncomfortable, troubled expression she wore.

“Please don’t worry,” I told her. “I love you, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that. I don’t care what Jay’s bunch have planned. I can only be responsible for my own behavior, and you and our baby are the most important things in the world to me. You are what I want, and I am not stupid enough to imagine that you won’t hear exactly _everything_ that goes on tonight, so, I want you to know that I plan to stay very, very sober, so that absolutely nothing that might possibly make you change your mind about me – about _us_ – will happen tonight.”

“Oh, Tom,” she responded, hugging me tightly. “Once again, you know the perfect thing to say to make me feel better about this whole boondoggle. I can’t help envisioning drunken orgies with naked strippers and lap dances, and you know I’d die if I found out that you were capable of behaving like that just a couple of days before our wedding. I’ve been so afraid. I think it might actually be a deal breaker for me.”

“I know it would be,” I said seriously. I’ve always thought that men who behave in such a way are probably not really ready for marriage, and are clearly not worthy of their girls! “And that is exactly why there won’t be anything like that even remotely anywhere near me.”

“I love you!” she cried, tugging on my neck and kissing me passionately, then rubbing her cheek against mine. Her skin is so soft, and I hadn’t shaved, and she pinked up a bit, but I don’t think it was all because of me. “And, I hate to ask, but if you could keep an eye on Jay, and Ez, and Jonah, I’d appreciate it…”

Hmmm. I knew about Jay, of course, and her brother Ezra had just gotten engaged. So… “Jonah?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise. “What’s that all about then?”

She looked away guiltily, and of course, I was then even more curious. She bit her lip and refused to meet my eyes. Hmmm, obviously, she knew something that I didn’t. And, equally obviously, she felt that she couldn’t share it with me. Well, that was interesting, but I certainly was not going to push her on it. I knew that she’d tell me in her own time, when she could.

“I can’t tell you,” she finally said, “but trust me, it’s a good one. Just… Tom, just make sure all the taken men behave themselves, all right? Chris, and Seth…”

The ‘taken’ men… I chuckled, kissing the top of her head and reluctantly pulling back from her. “No guarantees about anybody else,” I told her, cupping her face in my hand and giving her my most earnest look. “Because, remember, I can really only be responsible for myself, but I shall certainly attempt to remain the voice of reason throughout whatever comes.”

I kissed her again, then allowed myself to be dragged away.

***

Knowing that by the end of the night, I would probably be one of the most soberest of souls at the party, I insisted on driving my Jaguar. I wasn’t surprised to find Jay at my side.

“I don’t know whether to drive myself, in the rental, or to come with you,” he said out of the side of his mouth. “I love all of my buddies, but I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. You know what Clarice is like. If she even hears the word ‘stripper,’ or ‘naked,’ or ‘lap dance,’ well, put it this way: you’ll be having a single wedding, and then attending my funeral!”

I couldn’t help but to burst out laughing, and after a second or two, he joined me. I realized in that moment, that he’d become so dear to me that I no longer found his laugh and voice annoying. I slung one arm around his shoulders and gave him a sideways man-hug, which he leaned in to.

“Come with me,” I whispered. “I’ll keep you safe. I’ve promised Bethany to stay sober, and well away from anything even remotely questionable.”

It ended up being Bethany’s brothers, Ezra and Malachi, and Chris, in the back, with Jay riding shotgun, with me, and as we drove, Ez, as Bethany calls him, did most of the talking, with occasional input from Chris, who, as strange as it seemed to me at the time, appeared to have a tremendous lot in common with the ex-pat American rancher. Chris is a warm, generous mate, and he and Ez really seemed to hit it off, something that really brought me considerable gratification. Mal, on the other hand, is the strong, silent type, and actually said very little, but his facial expressions were pricelessly telling. I was glad that I had Chris and Jay with me, as it was made very obvious that should their sister ever become unhappy, and that it had anything even remotely to do with me, that I should be made to feel extremely sorry indeed. I wanted to reassure them, but sensed instinctively that that was something that could only be accomplished over time, and I certainly planned to have plenty of that: the rest of our lives, in fact. And, I was glad that I didn’t also have Daniel in the car, as I’m pretty sure I would have felt most outnumbered.

So, by the time I was pulling into the parking lot at the guests’ hotel, it was with some little trepidation, having been thoroughly warned on the trip over. I sincerely hoped that Jay’s mates had kept the chaos down to a minimum, although, I didn’t have much hope, considering the on-set antics, even though, I’ll admit, many of the most outrageous of _those_ had been instigated by someone else entirely… Yes, well…

We got out of the car, and Ez and Mal practically stalked towards the entrance, Chris followed them shortly, glancing back at me over his shoulder. Jay and I just stood next to the car, looking at each other helplessly.

“Coming, mate?” Chris called back to me, and shrugging, I slipped my arm around Jay’s shoulders and pulled him after me.

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Jay said quietly, shaking his head as he slipped his arm around my waist whilst we walked.

“I don’t know,” I answered, equally quietly. “They’re your mates, mate.”

“It will be OK, won’t it?” he asked uncertainly. “They wouldn’t really do anything that would rile up Clarice too much? I really _do_ want to marry her!”

“I don’t know,” I said again. “But I think we’re about to find out.”

We pushed side by side through the entry door and into the lobby, and found Chris and Seth waiting for us. “Chris and I planned this together,” Seth said. “Both of us are married, so we know what _not_ to do.”

And suddenly I knew that everything would be all right. Seth seemed so sincere, and Chris wore such an earnest expression, that I was instantly put at ease.

But Jay backed away, an almost terrified expression on his face. “Oh, no,” he moaned.

“No, really,” I said, turning to him and halting him with a hand on his arm. “I think he truly means it in a good way.”

“You don’t know him like I do,” Jay said, shaking his head resignedly.

I nodded. “No,” I said. “But I know Chris.”

Jay let his breath out in a rush. “Yeah, OK,” he said, squaring his shoulders. “Let’s do this.”

We followed our two Best Men down a corridor to one of the hotel conference rooms. They had really done it up right. The whole place was tricked out to look like a Las Vegas casino, complete with Black Jack, roulette, craps, and poker tables, although something felt notably off, and it took me a moment to realize that all the dealers and croupiers were… male.

“Seriously?” Jay asked, one brow raised. “Whole lotta testosterone going on here…”

“No girls,” said Seth. “Zero, none, nada. Just guys and games. And drinking.”

Poker. Lots of poker. At which I’m quite good.

And later, mostly-drunken arm wrestling. At which I’m not.

(Yes, I did stay sober. So did Jay.)

(And if you’re wondering who won, maybe surprisingly, that would be Ez, with Mal coming in second, and Chris third. Apparently, ranching is good for such things.)

(And, no. I did not come in last. Jay cannot say the same…)


	71. Luke/Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Can’t believe this silly little fic is this long! Crazy! I like it, but it’s probably boring as hell! So thanks for reading it! Luke and Lance both really spoke to me this time, and it’s quite long. Clarice and Jay are liable to be as vocal!

Chapter 71, Luke/Lance

Luke

So, I may be slow. I may be stubborn. But I am also highly intelligent (I say this with all modesty, honestly), and I know when it’s time to accept the inevitable, to stop tilting at fucking windmills, and just get on with my life. Tom was in love with Bethany, they were going to get married, they were going to have a child. And for all that I thought it was too soon, and abysmally poorly thought out, it was going to happen anyway. And I could either continue to chafe, thus alienating one of my oldest, dearest friends, and also pushing away and destroying what was probably the grand love of my life; or I could just shut the fuck up and be happy for my friend, and wish him well.

After almost destroying everything that was good with my life, I finally chose the latter.

Once I acknowledged, accepted, and truly embraced the truth of my love for Lance, everything else just magically fell into place. How could I doubt what Tom and Bethany seemed to have, when Lance and I surely had it too? Our romance had been even more whirlwind than theirs, and yet, finally I could admit to myself that what we felt, what _I_ felt was genuine, was true, was lasting.

You see, I am in love with Lance Greene. End of story.

Except, of course, this isn’t really the end, is it? Certainly not!

Can I just tell you how much happier I am, now that I have stopped fighting it? By the time Tom called the two of us and asked us to be his attendants, I was all the way into the idea that Lance and I were permanent. When Tom and Bethany asked us to stand up for them, I could see how happy they were. And, I could see how happy it made Lance.

When did making Lance happy, become the most important thing in my world? You know, I’m not sure about _when_ that was, but I know that it has become my bottom line.

The drive to Cambridge was wonderful. We took Lance’s car. Even though mine is newer, and much nicer, Lance is a very large man, and his car is much bigger and quite a bit more comfortable for him. It’s a short trip, and he drove, and as I sat next to him, watching his profile, contemplated a life without him, I realized that I would do anything to prevent that from happening. Time to grow a pair and man up.

Lance and Bethany are very close. He might as well be her actual brother; I don’t think they love each other any less than she and her real brothers do, and I think she and Lance are actually closer than she and her brother Daniel, the attorney, for instance. When Lance and I finally arrived in Cambridge for the wedding, Lance took off like a shot to Bethany’s side. I hadn’t seen Tom in person for a while, either, so I was eager and grateful to reconnect with this man who I consider to be one of my dearest friends. I put out my hand to shake, and he, of course, took it and pulled me into a hug, as is his way. He let go and stepped back, looking me up and down, a goofy grin on his face.

“I don’t even have to ask if it’s serious,” he said happily. “I can tell it by the look on your face, even the way you carry your body. Lance is obviously good for you, Luke.”

I smiled back. I absolutely couldn’t help myself, as his joy is always infectious, and I was feeling that way anyhow. “Yes, Tom,” I said quietly, thinking to myself that I was obviously wrong about the lovely young woman who he was set to marry. “And I owe Bethany a huge apology, and clearly she is making you happy as well.” In all actuality, the man was practically radiating happiness, which I’ll admit, he does most of the time, anyway; but this was different, more intense, and I couldn’t deny that it certainly looked like he had found what he needed at last. And, of course, what he said next confirmed that.

“I can honestly say that I am happier right now, this very minute, than I have ever been in my entire life,” he said softly. “And it only gets better each passing minute. I’ve found in Bethany everything I’ve ever wanted. I can’t imagine my life without her.”

She and Lance stood a short distance away from us, catching up, just as the two of us were, and he looked over at her longingly, probably seeing his future. Certainly, I was aware that I was looking at mine.

“I know what you mean,” I agreed. I didn’t even think about what I said next. The words just escaped, but I knew as soon I uttered them, that they were true. “I’m going to ask Lance to marry me.” Suddenly, l couldn’t wait to do so!

Tom rounded on me, beaming. “You sly dog!” he yelled.

“Not so loud!” I cautioned, looking over once more at Lance and Bethany. I hadn’t even known it was what I wanted, what I needed; it was going to take me a little bit of self-talking-to to get used to the idea, before I approached Lance with it. But I needn’t have worried; they were too busy catching up with each other to pay any attention to us.

“Sorry,” he said, laughing his silly little laugh. “You just surprised me with that.”

And how. I’d surprised myself! “Me too,” I confessed, and yet, I had never wanted anything more desperately. Damn. “When you told me that you and Bethany were getting married, I thought you were crazy, rushing into it like that. And then, when I found out that she was pregnant, I thought you were the world’s biggest sap. I thought…” Should I tell him what I really thought? Yes; I needed to get it off my chest. “Well, I thought she’d done it on purpose, to trap you. It’s the oldest trick in the book, after all. I even wondered if the child was actually even yours.” Because, really, today there are so many ways to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Honestly.

But, predictably, Tom turned on me. Like all of his emotions, his righteous anger is truly a wonder to behold. “She showed me the letter from her doctor’s office,” he snapped. “It was postmarked and everything, you know. And she was the reluctant one.”

Yes, that’s true, and I now thought I understood them both, where they were coming from: I had the Bethany role! “I know, I know,” I said soothingly. “That’s why I say I owe her an apology. And besides, I understand now. I love Lance, and I want to build a life with him, and it’s been too fast, and I’m scared, but I’d want to curl up and die if I lost him now. I even want to have children with him.” Good god almighty. What was I saying? “I want us to adopt.” Or, maybe try to find a surrogate. Or two. We could both sire a child, and raise them together…

Oh god.

“Oh, Luke, that’s wonderful,” Tom said, tears in his eyes. Good heavens.

“Fuck, Tom, not waterworks,” I said, about as embarrassed as I could ever remember being, and yet, the thought of a little dark-eyed boy… Or even… a precious little girl… Fuck, I was in trouble….

“Sorry, it’s contagious,” Tom said, wiping his face, still gazing over at Bethany and Lance, who were both doing the same.

And it was then, that exact moment; I can pinpoint it. I gave up. I gave in. I stopped fighting it. I embraced it. My life changed forever. Like a snake shedding its skin, a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. The new and improved, the madly in love, the _happy_ Luke Windsor, was born.

Lance

I’ve said it before: I’m a little bit psychic. Not majorly, or anything, and I’m not going to hang a shingle, or start telling fortunes, or join one of those silly phone networks, but often enough that it clearly isn’t coincidence, I get impressions – vibes, feelings, whatever you want to call it – about the way things are. Would you believe me if I told you that I had known that Tom and Bethany would end up together, from the moment that Bethany had told Tom to fuck off and I had slammed the door in his face? After their very first, disastrous date. The very first day they met.

How did I know? you ask. I’m not sure; just, as Tom stood on our doorstep, trying so hard to get me to let him in, and Bethany sat on our couch in the living room, angrily trying not to cry, I had, I guess, what was more or less a vision: I saw them on their wedding day; I saw them at the birth of their first child; I saw them in their seventies. I just knew. And so, when Tom asked Luke and me to stand up with him at the wedding, I wasn’t actually all that surprised. But I was extremely excited and elated. I mean, after all, I had been looking out for Bethany for quite a while at this point, and she is very, very special to me.

And, of course, I’d known all along about Luke and me. For several years, actually. But the man was infuriating – resisting it so hard, resisting me. I suppose that, technically, everything did happen rather fast, but I just didn’t see it that way because I had known about it for so long. Did you know that Luke and I will have four children? Two will be adopted, but we’ll have two of our own, as well: one of his, and one of mine. They’ll be born close enough together so as to be practically twins, to two different friends of ours who will practically beg to be allowed to do it for us. Yes, really.

But, Luke wasn’t ready, and I knew that. I don’t think that a part of him would have ever been ready, and yet, you can’t stop the tides, and you can’t help loving someone. Luke and I had been together almost as long as Tom and Bethany. I had moved in with him, and so, of course, we traveled together to Cambridge for the amazing wedding of Tom and Bethany.

Bethany and I had been looking out for each other for the last several years, and this was the longest we had been apart in all that time. In ways, I cared about her more than I did anyone else on the planet, and I know she felt the same way about me. But now, we had each found our ‘one,’ and so, our reunion was bitter-sweet, knowing that things would never be quite the same between us ever again.

When Luke and I arrived together, and when I saw Bethany, I rushed to her, both of us bursting into tears.

“Oh, Lance, I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed you,” Bethany sobbed, while I held her, trying my best to get myself under control.

“I know, love,” I said soothingly, squeezing her for a moment, before tipping her head back and looking into her face. “Let me get a good look at you, then.”

I studied her, looking for any sign whatsoever that things weren’t absolutely perfect with her. I know her well enough that if there was anything even remotely off about any of this, I would be able to tell. But she was the most deliriously happy that I had ever seen her, and I pulled her back into my arms, finally relaxing as I realized how concerned that I had been for her. Clearly, there was no need.

“Oh, good,” I said. “That man is making you so happy.”

She drew back slightly, brushing at her face and taking her opportunity to study me back. “Yes, he really is,” she said softly. “But what about you? Things are obviously very good between you and Luke!”

She knows me just as well; I felt myself blush. But, of course, she was right. And yet… “Of course they are,” I said quietly. “I always said they would be!”

“What’s next for you two, then?” she asked. “Do you know? Have you talked at all about it?”

I glanced over to where Tom and Luke were busy catching up. “You know,” I said thoughtfully, “that man is even more stubborn than you are. He resists me every single inch of the way. He’s mad for me; he loves me to absolute distraction. But, it’s ‘too soon,’ and ‘not wise,’ and certainly, ‘not practical.’ He kept breaking my heart, and then pulling me back in, and if I didn’t love him so much, and if I didn’t know with such absolute certainty, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are meant to be together, well, I’d tell the man to fuck off, and I’d walk away right now.”

“Lance, if he mistreats you, you should move on,” she said, frowning up at me.

I’m sure I had a rather intense expression on my face, because she looked really worried; I was quick to reassure her. “It’s going to be all right now, love. You watch. He’s about to accept his fate. I can tell. I think he’s finally realized that I am his future. Of course, I’ve known for years that he is mine…”

***

Of course, Tom and Bethany had other guests arriving that they had to acknowledge, so after our relatively brief greetings, Luke and I stepped out of the way and let them get on with it. We found ourselves strolling along the River Cam, enjoying the fine weather. I don’t think I’d ever seen the sky quite so bright a blue, the grass quite so vibrant a green. In short, the day was magical, and I was giddy and almost breathless with anticipation. I think instinctively that I knew somewhere inside me what was coming, but I was afraid to hope, afraid to jinx it. I put it far, far from my mind.

We ambled aimlessly, reasonably close together, but not touching. I think if it were up to me, I might have held his hand, but Luke is pretty conservative, and that’s just not done. He doesn’t go out of his way to deny that he is, in fact, gay; but he doesn’t rush to acknowledge it, either. Neither one of us is particularly feminine. I usually take a less aggressive stance in my relationships, but that is only because I am very aware that with my size, I need to be gentle with all the other tiny people. Wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt, and I am comfortable in my skin, but the fact is, that I am huge, both tall and broad. I out-weigh almost everyone I meet, but I am not fat in any way. But it does behoove me to behave in such a manner so as not to intimidate the mere normal-sized folk.

Anyway… Luke and I, walking along the river, a lovely day. Sadly, not holding hands, but close together anyway, for all of that. I felt connected to him, and I’d like to say that I knew precisely what was coming, but that would have been a lie; I had successfully put it from me. The fact is, when Luke suddenly stopped and turned to face me, I had absolutely no clue what he was about to do! He stepped closer, into my personal space, and I was surprised, as he is not usually so forward in public. No one was anywhere near us, but Luke didn’t even glance around to check on that. I did, but, for once, he was totally focused on _me_ , and for just the smallest split-second, I felt a pang of fear in my gut. So used to his mercurial moods, suddenly I was convinced that he was going to break up with me, and I steeled myself to show no reaction. There was no way l was going to let him see how much this was going to destroy me, and I thought, ‘What a tremendous bastard, to do this a scant few days before Bethany and Tom’s wedding!’

I forced my face into a blank façade – I am an actor, after all; but Luke stood there, appearing resolute, his jaw firm. He squared his shoulders, and looked determinedly up into my eyes. He swallowed visibly, and then… he reached for my hand.

My stomach dropped. Whatever I had been expected, this wasn’t it. He looked down at our clasped hands, and then, he raised them to his face, closing his eyes and pressing his cheek against the backs of my fingers, before dropping our hands back to our sides. My heart was pounding so hard, the blood was roaring in my ears, and then, this wonderful man, who I loved to utter distraction, raised his eyes to mine, took a deep breath, and said, “Lance, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Fuck.

Of course, I said yes.


	72. Clarice/Jay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the beautiful and talented jeanburg, who, when she found out that I used her photo to be Clarice, made herself a tumblr account, and, in her own words, “tumblr stalked” me! She’s read everything I’ve written here, The TWH Factor is her favorite of my stories, she doesn’t quite get The Unholy Three, and if you don’t think it’s weird to have your daughter read all of your fan fic porn, well, then it probably hasn’t happened to you! She wanted Jay & Clarice smut… I’ve never written any but Tom before! And, they’re on a celibacy pact… Well, hope y’all enjoy! Thanks for reading! Love you, Jeany!

Chapter 72, Clarice/Jay

Clarice

After the little stunt that Tom and I pulled on Jay and Bethany to make them jealous, Jay became extra solicitous. And it was wonderful! But all the attention, all the little touches – well, it was so unlike what I was used to. Jay didn’t seem to need excuses any more. He was constantly touching me. Constantly! My hands, my shoulders, my arms, my hips, my waist, my face… He couldn’t see me without running his fingers though my hair….

Did I love it? Yes! But, remember, I had insisted on moving him out of our room, out of our lovely double bed, into the room across the hall with the twin beds. Bethany moved in with me, and Jay moved in with Tom!

Now, don’t get me wrong: I had become close to Bethany, but having her in bed with me every night was not what I was wanting after Jay began what I privately started to refer to as Operation Drive Clarice Mad With Lust. That damn celibacy pact! What the hell had I been thinking?!

Well, it _was_ a good idea, one I still embraced in theory. I really did think it would make for a much more enjoyable and meaningful wedding night. And yet, I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive til then, after Jay turned up the heat. I was walking around in a constant state of arousal, my panties drenched. The chaffing was starting to really get to me, and it was effecting my work. Every night I would say goodnight to Jay, and of course, he’d kiss me. And fuck, can that man kiss! And then he’d send me off to bed, that I fucking had to share with Bethany, so that even any playing with my old pal BOB (you know, the Battery-Operated Boyfriend, right girls?) was restricted to hurried sessions standing up in the bathroom. I could tell that Bethany was suffering with it, too, and I could sympathize, but that didn’t help me with _my_ problem!

So, this was a few nights before the wedding: it almost got away from me. Jay and I were saying goodnight in the dining room. It wasn’t that late, and we were cuddled together on the couch, our arms wrapped around each other. Jay took my face in both hands, his fingers trembling, tilting my face and kissing me like my mouth was an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. It felt like he was drawing my soul out from between my lips, and I grabbed this wrists, pulling his hands down to my chest, forcing him until he cupped my breasts, and I couldn’t help but let out a needy moan.

“Jay,” I gasped, “I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die if you don’t fuck me in the next ten minutes!”

Jay froze, his hands stilling, then reluctantly, he pulled away from me, settling me in the corner of the couch and moving himself over to the opposite corner. He ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily and shakily looking at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Reecy,” he said faintly. “I got carried away.”

“This is stupid!” I exclaimed. “What was I thinking? I can’t do this! I need you now!”

I reached for him, ready to give up the silly notion of staying chaste til the wedding, but he scrambled away from me, jumping up off the couch and moving around the back til it stood between us. He held his hands out, palms toward me, warding me off.

“Now, Clarice, calm down,” he gulped, his eyes wide.

I’m sure I looked like I was ready to devour him, as, in fact, I was! I rose to my feet, stalking slowly around the couch towards him, but he sidled around at the same pace, maintaining the distance between us. I glanced at the bulge in his jeans and licked my lips.

“Come on, Jay,” I said seductively. “I can see that you want me…”

He stopped, blinking at me, absently reaching down to adjust himself. “Of course I do, Reecy,” he said, swallowing hard. “I’ve taken so many cold showers, and still, I have a giant case of blue balls. But I know you, and if we give in to this, you’re gonna be mad.”

That got me; of course he was right. I felt my shoulders slump in defeat. “Fuck you, Jay, of course you’re right,” I said despondently. “But this is killing me.”

He stood there, thinking, I could tell, and suddenly, I saw a light bulb go on over his head.

“When are Tom and Bethany supposed to be back?” he asked slyly.

“I’m sure their dinner will last for several more hours,” I said hopefully. The Hiddleston and Murrow clans were having a pre-wedding dinner somewhere in town. Both Tom and Bethany had been gone about a half an hour at this point, and I was sure that they would not be coming back any time soon. “Why? What did you have in mind?”

“Well,” Jay said, reaching out a hand to me.

I bit my lip, hesitating, but after a moment, I took it, and he turned and tugged me towards the stairs. I followed, a mixture of sadness and elation running through me. “Jay…” I breathed, defeated, my voice filled with longing and regret.

He glanced back at me over his shoulder. “Is your iPad charged?” he asked, one brow lifted in that so-sexy way of his.

“Yes, I think so,” I answered, puzzled.

“Good,” he said, a trace of lust and amusement making his lips twitch.

He turned back around, pulling me up the stairs and leading me down the corridor. He stopped outside the room I now shared with Bethany. She and I had the double bed, and Jay had moved in with Tom, into the room with twin beds. I think I already mentioned that, but the two rooms were almost directly across from each other.

Still holding my hand, he reached up with the other one and cupped my face, pressing his lips to my forehead.

“We agreed that we wouldn’t have sex, together, right?” he said, resting his chin on the top of my head. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t jerk off, or you do, um, whatever it is you girls call it.” He pulled away, smirking, but kept his grip on my hand. “And we didn’t agree that we wouldn’t watch porn.”

“Porn?” I said, practically shrieking in disappointment. “Is that your grand idea?”

His lips twitched again. “I was thinking facetime,” he said quietly. “Naked facetime.”

I thought about that for a moment, and then it hit me. “Oh, you’re brilliant,” I said, fumbling for my room key. “Baruchel, you’re on. You’ve got ten minutes to get naked and get that ready. Hmmm. I’m feeling magnanimous; I’ll give you fifteen.”

“I’ll only need five,” he said, his voice sounding strained as he reached down to adjust himself again, dropping my hand to fish out his own room key. “See you on the other side.”

I’m sure the corridor rang with the sounds of our doors slamming. I know that I raced into my room, yanking my clothes off as I went. I used the toilet, washed my hands, then went back and plopped down on the bed, getting my vibrator out of the bedside drawer and powering on my iPad, more excited than I’d been since I’d suggested this silly celibacy thing. When the request came in, I accepted it eagerly.

And there was my Jay on the screen, his face in close up. “Hey, babe,” he said. “Are you ready for me?”

“I am sooo ready,” I said. “But you’re holding it too close. Pull back and show me what’s mine!”

He smirked at me, chuckling in a way that had all the fine hairs raising on the back of my neck. When he wants to, his voice can be very seductive, but I am the only one who ever gets to hear him sounding that way. The picture on my screen panned out, and I could see his body, his generously-sized, rock-hard cock that throbbed for me. The twitching movements told me how much he wanted me, and I moaned in anticipation, my mouth watering.

“Fuck, Jay, I want you,” I groaned.

“You got me,” he growled. “But it’s my turn. Show me what you got!”

I pulled my iPad away so that he could see my body. My nipples were hard and I was wet, and I knew he’d be able to tell, and it was turning me on. When he caught his breath and swallowed, I felt a fresh gush of moisture between my thighs.

“Clarice…” he whispered on a sigh, taking his cock in hand and stroking it slowly, root to tip. “Fuck, I wish this was you; I wish this was your mouth…”

He absently brushed the palm of his other hand over his chest, skimming lightly over his own flat nipples, before moving slowly down to cup his balls, cradling them and massaging gently. A moan escaped his lips.

“Fuck, Jay, that’s so hot…” I gasped, watching him. “I… fuck…”

“But you’re behind, Reecy,” he said, stopping. “Put down that iPad and touch yourself. Now.”

The way he said it was undeniably an order, and I smirked back at him. We’d played this game before, where he tried to go dominant on me, which is a huge joke if you know him – _and_ me – but it _is_ a fun game, nevertheless.

“How are you gonna make me? Sir?” I asked cheekily, while trying to think of a way to prop the thing up so that l could have my hands free. Getting creative with a pillow finally did the trick. All the while, I watched him, his hand periodically squeezing his cock, but otherwise not moving. I could see that he was struggling to hold back, and I bit my lip.

All traces of humor had vanished from his face. Ah, in order to gain control of _himself_ , he was going to try to assert control over me, and I watched the subtle shift in his body language as he assumed the role.

“Clarice,” he said quietly, the commanding tone of his voice sending a chill over my entire body, causing me to tingle. I faltered and forgot to breathe. It had been awhile since he’d gone so deep into this; my heart soared when I realized that it meant that he missed me just as much as I missed him.

“Sorry, Master Jay,” I whispered. “So sorry, please don’t punish me.” I rose to my knees on the bed, placing my hands on my thighs. “What should I do?”

He visibly relaxed. “Sweet Reecy,” he said softly. “I know how hard this has been. No punishment. But, I _do_ want you to touch yourself. Pinch your nipples.”

I lifted my hands to obey him, my pussy clenching when he began stroking his cock once more, oh-so-infinitely slowly.

“Oh, Master Jay,” I sighed. Without conscious thought, my right hand smoothed down over my body, over my stomach, pausing when it got to my lap.

“That’s it babe,” he said, satisfaction all over his face. “Let it go, pretend it’s me. I need to see it. Now.”

The first dip of my fingers into my wet pussy had me gasping. I shifted so that my legs were out in front of me and I was lying back, propped up against the headboard. I teased myself, exploring my folds and stroking just inside my entrance, but not too far, and totally avoiding my tingling clit.

All the while, I kept my eyes open, watching him watching me…

Jay

Reecy and I talked about this before we sat down to write it together. She wants me to take over now—

_But l may chime in if I think he’s not telling it right…_

Yes, Reecy…

_Or leaving something out…_

Baby, you said it was my turn now.

_Sorry, Jay, yes. Please continue._

Thank you. Now, yes, after Clarice and Tom played their little prank on Bethany and me, well, I’m not an utter moron! I stepped it up. I love Clarice; how hard would it be to show her? Now that we weren’t keeping our relationship a secret any longer, how hard would it be to show everybody how much I love this woman?

And the whole celibacy thing – a good idea, which only made my determination to show Clarice – and everyone else – just how I felt about her. I was starving for her anyway, which made keeping my hands off of her nearly impossible. That night, just a few days before the wedding, when Tom and Bethany were both gone to their families’ dinner thing…. Well, that night, as Clarice has just said, we almost lost it.

I’m not sure what gave me the idea for facetime sex. Ah, technology. Gotta love it. The next best, logical step after phone sex. Not only could I hear her, but I could _see_ her: her chest heaving with her heavy breathing, the faint flush spread over her cheeks and throat, her parted, moist lips, her avid, hungry eyes. Looking down her body, I saw her sweet nipples pink and pointy for me, and her beautiful pussy, glistening with arousal.

But I was way ahead of her. I hadn’t been able to resist stroking myself, and she hadn’t even started. When I realized that I was going to have to go all Master Jay on her, I stopped everything, as fucking hard as that was to do! I saw her eyes narrow when I issued my first order.

“But you’re behind, Reecy,“ I said. “Put down that iPad and touch yourself. Now.”

She smirked and tried to disobey me, but I knew she needed this release, and I knew that doing the Dom thing would give her the freedom to let go and enjoy it. My Reecy is usually the dominant one, I’m sure you can tell, not that we have one of “those” types of relationships. It’s just that she is a strong, intelligent, independent woman, one who won’t take shit off of anyone – least of all me! – one who knows what she wants and knows how to go about getting it. The “Master Jay/Sweet Reecy” game was something we played every once in a while, for fun: times when Clarice needed to let loose a little; and I could see that tonight she was too turned on and too uptight to really enjoy this facetime sex thing the way she really needed to. She was going to need Master Jay tonight.

_And as hilarious and improbable as he is, I do love my Master Jay!_

Hush. Now where was I? Oh, yes. In order to help Reecy get off, I became a bit imperious with her. And it really didn’t take much. Once I had gotten her to start touching herself, I knew she wouldn’t be able to stop. And thank god, because it had almost killed me, the stopping! The first sight of her fingers slipping into her wet pussy almost had me coming, but I fought it with everything that I had, squeezing my cock, gritting my teeth, and taking slow, deep breaths until had myself under some small semblance of control once more.

In the interim, while I struggled to back myself down, Clarice did more than what she need to do to catch up. She teased herself at first, stroking through her folds, fucking herself with shallow strokes. I about choked as I watched her pull back the hood and lightly flick her clit with just her fingernail. She let out a low moan that went straight to my dick, and I sucked in a breath and sped up my strokes.

I watched both her fingers and her face, because, of course, she is beautiful as she gets off, but I could tell that something wasn’t quite right, and she was becoming frustrated. She was frantically reaching inside, and I realized that she was having trouble getting to her g-spot.

“Clarice,” I said quietly, but she ignored me, so I tried another time. Master Jay to the rescue again. “Sweet Reecy!” I snapped, and she froze for a moment.

“What, Sir?” she asked, her fingers moving once more, but more deliberate, her eyes focusing on nine through the screen.

“Do you have your toy with you?” I asked, hoping almost desperately that she did, because I was about to blow, and she’d never forgive me if I lost it too soon ahead of her.

But I could tell, by the excited look on her face, that she did. She reached for it at, the same time saying, “Yes, Master Jay, I do.”

“I can see that I don’t have to tell you to use it,” I said, barely keeping the gratitude from showing in my voice. “There you go.”

The thing is practically silent, but as she turned it on and ran it around her opening, I could tell it was going to hit the spot, as it were. She held it against her clit for a moment, drawing a deep breath and clenching her eyes tight, before plunging it into herself.

I could tell the instant that it hit home, because her back arched up off the bed and she cried out. Immediately, her other hand abandoned her nipples and began working her clit feverishly, her chest rising and falling with her panting.

“Oh, fuck,” I think I moaned, or something similar, as I roughly worked myself.

“God, Jay, thank you,” she managed to get out. “ Fuck…”

“That’s my sweet, sweet Reecy,” I crooned, my own hand a blur on my cock.

“Work just the head,” she said, ordering _me_ , and I had just enough control left to flip her a grin before doing what she said. Relaxing my grip, I spent a few moments rapidly stroking just the head, before tightening my fist and once more taking it root to tip.

“Are you close?” I bit out, as I felt my balls contract and I knew that I was mere seconds away from an orgasm of epic proportions. The truth is, I hadn’t gotten myself off in several days, and there was a lot of stuff stored up, if you know what I mean.

“Yes,” she gasped out, her head rearing back, her spine stiffening, her one hand working her vibrator, and the other flying on her clit.

The sight was so erotic that I couldn’t help letting out a whole string of muffled curses, ending with, “Oh, holy fucking hell!” as I came and came and came, my spunk exploding everywhere, hitting me in the face, the chest, the hair, and even splatting against the headboard of the bed behind me.

“What the fuck, Jay?” Clarice shrieked, watching me the whole time. Her voice rose in a wordless scream as she came too.

_It was the hardest orgasm I had ever had at my own hand. Absolutely intense._

Thanks for that, Reecy. Yes, anyhow, we both lay there panting, watching each other. I know that I wasn’t capable of talking for a couple of minutes. After a bit, I heard her chuckle.

“You sure made a giant mess,” she said sensually, teasingly. “I’d better let you go clean up, and then we should get some sleep.”

I nodded, but I was overwhelmed by the need to hold her. “Put on your robe and meet me in the hallway,” I said, with the last remnants of Master Jay in my voice.

For once, she didn’t question me. She blinked at me solemnly, nodded, and said, “In just a minute, Sir.”

She flew to my arms and I crushed her to me, one hand wrapping around her shoulders while the other one tangled in her hair. “God, Clarice, I love you,” I said, somewhat breathlessly. I pulled back and pressed my lips to hers almost reverently.

“That was amazing, Jay,” she whispered, drawing a deep breath. “It seems wrong to say thank you, but… I needed that, so Jay, thank you. I love you. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

“Oh so very soon, my darling,” I said, and with a last squeeze and kiss on the top of her head, we said goodnight, and returned to our own rooms. I knew that we would make it now.

_Yup! I did, too. Soon…_


End file.
